


Reign of Shadows: Season 4

by Xandyflare



Series: Reign of Shadows [8]
Category: AdventureQuest Worlds, Destiny (Video Games), Fire Emblem Series, Reign of Shadows (Fanfiction), Rockman X | Mega Man X, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Body Horror, Depression, Human Experimentation, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, Moral Ambiguity, Multi, Plot Twists, Quite a few panic attacks my dude, Rescue Missions, Suicide Attempt, self-harm (mentioned), spoilers for previous seasons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-15
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-09-01 08:02:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 38,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20254861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xandyflare/pseuds/Xandyflare
Summary: It's been six months after what happened in the Tangled Shore. With nobody else to take the blame, Andal Brask has taken the full front of what happened. He also faces the fact that now, there's going to be nobody to turn to with what he has done.But he isn't the only one with problems. Rowan is facing his own demons, Uldren has been denied again and again to save Keith from the Umbra Mondo these last few months, and even the airheaded Artix von Krieger has begun to worry about the future, especially the one with his kinderguardian students, if they'll even be in it at all.And all the while, a new threat from the Umbra Mondo lurks on the horizon...what is the NMMA?Join us on the Reign of Shadows Discord! https://discord.gg/5mXXcXz





	1. Locked in Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> Characters in chapter:
> 
> -Lance  
-Cayde-6  
-Uldren Sov  
-Kosmo  
-Andal Brask  
-Adam  
-Various Alliance council members  
-Cedar
> 
> Chapter summary:
> 
> Andal faces the consequences of the actions way beyond his control.

Lance woke up with a chicken on his chest.

The Red Paladin forced his eyes open, whimpering a bit. He was unadjusted to the bright lights of the medical wing, and immediately screwed them shut again.

He began to sit up, but two things instantly complained. One, his entire body screamed from how sore it was. And two, the chicken having been napping on him began clucking and flapping its wings in frustration.

Lance resigned himself to sitting up slightly, and stared with a dumbfounded expression. The chicken was completely out of place in the entire area, having simply been napping on him. He had no idea how it even got into the medical wing. And how long has it been sleeping on him?

Thankfully for him, two gloved hands picked up the chicken and pulled it off of him. “Hey, that’s where you went, Colonel.”

Lance looked up, squinting. “Cayde?” His voice cracked, and he immediately began coughing.

When he looked back up again, Cayde-6 was holding a water bottle. Once he saw Lance staring, he held it out, keeping the chicken named Colonel in one arm. “You might be wantin’ this.”

Lance propped himself up against the bed frame. With shaky hands, he broke the seal on the water bottle and began to chug. It was empty in less than ten seconds, making him realize how suddenly thirsty he was.

“Yea, sorry about Colonel,” Cayde explained. “Diamond one likes to run around with him and the gem, and keeps forgettin’ to bring him back home.”

“The...gem?”

“The gem is what I call the diamond’s friend. Sapphire.”

“Oh. Oh, yea, I’ve seen her here and there.” Lance glanced around at that. “What happened?”

“Andal shot you and your Lion down. We managed to get you in a stable condition, but you just wouldn’t wake up.” Cayde paused, then looked aside. “It’s been half a year.”

Lance paused. The words attempted to line up in his mind, but failed to. His mouth moved, but no exact syllables came out.

“Half a year?” He repeated slowly in his dry mouth.

“Yea. The Alliance was formed nine months ago, you got shot six months. Half a year.”

Lance’s eyes went wide slowly. Dropping the empty water bottle, he leaned back, hands over his mouth. He seemed unable to process what had just been told to him. His entire brain was denying it, but at the same time, a small part of him was inclined to believe Cayde.

“Half a year,” he uttered again, unable to get it through to himself.

“I’m sorry, Lance.” Cayde sat down by him, Colonel continuing to bob in his arms.

“Did we...did we get Andal?” Lance questioned slowly.

Cayde nodded. “Yea. We did. But at a huge price.”

“Just...start small.”

“Alright. I’ll start with what happened immediately after you were knocked down. I heard that Uldren Sov was shot down right after you. Andal took him hostage, and Keith chased after to save him. Only Uldren returned, and he was barely alive. He even had his connection to his Ghost severed.” Lance gasped. “We managed to reconnect them, don’t worry! But...Keith has been missin’ ever since. The Umbra Mondo had publicly admitted to havin’ him.”

Lance sat up. “Are you serious?! Why have you guys let him be a captive for half a year?!”

“We had no choice!” Cayde replied. “We’re outgunned, outmanned, outnumbered, and outplanned. The Umbra Mondo could crush us instantly if they wanted to. Our best bet was to withdraw and help Rowan get stronger so we could have a fightin’ chance. And trust me, nobody liked leavin’ Keith. Uldren hasn’t been doin’ well since then.”

The Red Paladin looked downwards. “And then...what happened?”

“The Aerioi was murdered by one of their own members, who then made off with Andal’s soul. Fox was pissed. He even agreed to give Andal back if we killed the traitor. And we did. We got back Andal’s soul, but...we were too late to save a large part of him from rottin’ up without his soul.” Cayde scratched his head. “Or was it exposure to darkness that rots a person?”

“Please don't get off-topic,” Lance begged.

“Right, right. So, we replaced literally all of Andal’s limbs with robotic ones! How ironic. He lost his limbs after killin’ an amputee.”

“Cayde!”

“Sorry! Couldn’t help it. Anyways, we brought him back to recover. From the events, he was obviously mentally and physically damaged. We tried to help him, but...we couldn’t for long.”

Lance’s face fell. “What happened?”

“Andal has been charged with crimes of murder. His trial is in the next few days.”

Immediately, Lance sat up. Something in his back popped, but he ignored it. Besides, he felt almost instant relief from the area, as if there was a huge knot of muscles having just been massaged out.

“He’s what?!” Lance exclaimed.

“Charged with crimes of murder,” Cayde calmly repeated. “What, did you think this was some magic fairy tale in which he would get off scot-free? No. He killed two people, both very well-liked in the Alliance. Kinda like me and my killer, you know?”

“Then why did Uldren never get a trial?!”

Cayde sighed. “Because multiple factors played in that prevented it. I’ll narrow it down to four. One, he was revived into a new person, and remembers nothing about his crime. Two, multiple people advocated for his innocence. You were actually one of them, if I remember correctly.”

Lance’s face turned a few shades of red. “Y-Yea,” he admitted. “I took his side.”

“Three, there’s a bit of a basis in Guardian ethics. Your past life stays in the past. So Uldren was excused of all crimes from the start. And four, I came back. His murder was rendered moot, so a lot of the hate kind of went away with it.” Cayde looked away. “Andal was not revived from the dead as a Guardian and lost his memories, only a few people took Andal’s side, he was not excused from his crimes by Guardian ethics, and his victims are not comin’ back. He doesn’t get a freebie.”

“You have to do something,” Lance begged. “He’s innocent.”

“I would if I could, but the Alliance council decides his fate. I have no power in the council. I mean, I could try and get some on my side, but...” the Exo shook his head. “I know it won’t be enough.”

The Paladin glared. “Don’t talk like that, because then you’ll never do it.”

Cayde looked down. He began to pet Colonel under the crook of his arm. He seemed to try and ignore the conversation, to signal to Lance this topic was done and over with.

“What about Cedar?” Lance pressed. “Would he-?”

“He left.”

Lance paused. “What do you mean, left?”

“He packed up and left the Alliance. Took Takumi's rifle with him, even. Said he couldn’t remain there. He hated seein’ everythin' that reminded him of his family, I guess. Who knows where he is and what law he’s breakin’ now?”

He stared at Cayde, his face showing hurt and horror at once. He put his head in his hands, curling up. He was whispering to himself, and it was obviously what he was saying, Cayde seeing tears begin to go down his face.

“It ain’t your fault. You did the best you could in stoppin’ him.”

“But it wasn’t enough!”

Cayde sighed. “Where have I heard that before?”

The next few days were agony. Lance’s body absolutely refused to get out of bed, so he had to lay there constantly. At least he was constantly visited by others, whether it be by his fellow Paladins or someone else.

The person who held first place in most visits was surprisingly not a Paladin. Uldren would come in and sit down, Kosmo immediately siding by and placing his head on Uldren’s lap for pets. No words were exchanged, either. Both of them just wanted company.

Lance noticed Uldren’s worn condition. Dark circles were under his eyes, and they were sometimes red from crying. On rare occasions, Uldren would begin quietly crying right then and there, hurriedly trying to wipe them away. Kosmo would lap at his cheek to try and help.

One day, Uldren’s steps were more hurried. He didn’t even sit down, instead standing by Lance’s bed. Kosmo wasn’t by him, missing from the picture.

“It’s today,” he said in a breathless tone, as he ran the whole way there.

For a second, Lance was ignorantly peaceful. “What is?”

“Andal’s trial.”

And then the world came crashing down again. “...Oh.”

Uldren sighed. “There’s cameras set up, as it’ll be a live feed,” he shortly explained. “I was going to pass along a pad to you so you could watch it.”

“Thanks, Uldren.”

The Blade official was already pulling out a silver tablet, holding it out for the Paladin to take. “I’m sorry only Andal is getting punished for this action.”

Lance didn’t take it at first. “Are you talking about yourself?”

“It just feels wrong,” Uldren admitted. “I get off scot-free, while he could be facing life in prison, or even the death penalty. We did the same crime, too.”

“It really is screwed up, but hey.” Lance finally took the tablet. “Guardian ethics.”

“Forget the ethics,” Uldren bit back with sudden venom before turning and walking out. He stumbled a bit, as if off put or dizzy, but he quickly stabilized himself and continued rushing out.

Lance was put off a bit by him suddenly snapping. And he barely looked like he got enough sleep. But he didn’t blame him. He’s been under stress for half a year, no doubt. The loss of a partner, the high-ranking title of official, and the looming threat of death for a friend would surely get to anyone. Trying to settle himself back in, he clicked on the tablet.

He had to wait for a few minutes for the live feed to start properly. The feed itself only had a blue picture with the words “Stand by for connection” and the low droning of static.

After about four minutes, the static stopped. The feed went black for a few seconds before it suddenly shifted to a blur of different colors. There was mostly white and magenta, as somebody dressed in those colors was taking up most of the view on the camera.

When the image was more defined, the colors were made out to be a person. Lucy-1 had her hand reaching past the camera, turning the knobs on it. She seemed to check something before nodding and leaving the camera alone. She moved away from it, sitting down in a seat.

The room was laid out with a large, curving table on one end. At the table were thirteen seats, each council member in one. A podium was directly in the middle of the room, facing the council members. In the back were seats for all other members of the trial, including the defendant and all, if any, witnesses.

“Bring him forward,” Zavala suddenly declared, sitting in the center chair of the council members.

Lance watched the feed as Adam walked into view. He was holding Andal, who had his wrists cuffed in front of him. The council organizer herded the defendant to the podium, though Andal stepped up all on his own.

Andal’s cloak was missing. His hair wasn’t even done, messy and fanning out against his back. He was in a simple tank top and shorts that revealed his robotic limbs and carved tattoo. He kept his head slightly tilted down, but kept it high enough to look at the council.

Adam looked forward. “Andal Brask has been brought here today to be tried for the murders of mercenaries and Alliance members Takumi and Dynamo,” he declared to mostly the camera.

Zavala leaned forward. “Before we begin, how do you plead to these accusations, Brask?”

Andal’s response was immediate. “Not guilty by reason of insanity,” he declared with no emotion.

Allura made a small noise of surprise. “That was a very quick response, Brask.”

Adam looked forward, continuing the overview. “Andal Brask was witnessed by two people when he personally murdered Takumi, and plotted amongst others to kill Dynamo. He is being held accountable for both deaths.” He looked over at Andal, giving him a bit of a mean glare.

Krolia raised a hand. “I would like to begin by calling the witness Cedar to the stands.”

Cedar? Cedar was here? Lance identified him easily by the tremendous amount of lavender hair following him as he walked up to the stand. Andal was pulled away and sat down as Cedar stepped up dutifully.

Krolia looked forward at the man. “What exactly happened that caused the deaths of the two?”

Cedar nodded. “We had split up in the Tangled Shore to look for Andal, who was missing at the time. Dynamo and Cayde-6 went to explore the shore, Takumi and I stayed on the ship. Dynamo and Cayde were attacked by one of the accomplices. This accomplice brought back an unconscious Cayde, and I left to save Dynamo. A second accomplice had beaten me to it, and shattered his soul, killing him.

“I rushed back to confirm Takumi’s safety. He was alright at the time, and Cayde was recovering from the attack. Then Andal revealed himself, and detonated the ship, pinning me under some of the burning parts.”

Hinoka stopped him. “I’m going to stop you before we get sidetracked, did you see Andal purposely kill Takumi?”

“He attacked Takumi with the intent to kill, but a third accomplice finished him off. Andal was not the one who personally killed Takumi.”

Xander questioned, “Who were the accomplices?”

“They called themselves the Aerioi fireteam.”

Zavala looked amongst the council. “Are there any other questions?” They all shook their heads. “Cedar, you may return to your seating.”

“Thank you.” Cedar stepped off.

“I would like to call the witness Cayde-6 to the stands,” Lucy stated.

The Exo was next to rise. Bounding by Adam, he stepped onto the stand with a peppy swing. “Hi, love.”

“Hey, dear,” Lucy warmly replied before clearing her throat. “Can you confirm the accomplices were in fact the missing Aerioi fireteam?”

“Yes, I can.” Cayde nodded.

“Now, what happened when Takumi died?”

“Well, Takumi and Andal had engaged in a fisticuffs fight. Takumi won, and began to get Cedar out from under the burnin’ wreckage of the blown-up ship. The third accomplice had a gun, and shot Takumi in the back while he was doin’ that. I fired some shots to get them to run away, but I was too late to save Takumi.”

“Are you saying that you blame yourself for Takumi dying?” Ikora questioned.

“Yes, I do,” Cayde admitted.

“What is your opinion on Andal being guilty or innocent?”

“I can’t answer honestly.”

Shiro paused. “Why not?”

“Because I don’t want to condemn a long-term friend.”

As Andal’s head snapped up, horrified at what Cayde supposedly had to say, Allura shook her head. “You must now tell us what you think.”

“I think...he’s guilty,” Cayde decided. “We don’t know what Fox did to him. There’s obvious signs of psychological damage, which is easily malleable to someone with the right tools and information. And as a plus, Fox was the one that made Andal’s robotic limbs.” The crowd audibly gasped, and a few council members stiffened. Regardless, Cayde continued. “We do not know what Fox has done to the limbs, or even Andal’s brain. For all we know, he’s either spotless or extremely disturbed.”

Lance saw Andal’s head duck again, and he felt horrible. Cayde obviously did not want to say that, but had to. Andal probably felt betrayed by his closest companion.

“Fox made Andal’s prosthetics,” Lumine repeated.

Cayde nodded. “Yes.”

“Okay, that is all. You may return to your seat.” Zavala waved for Cayde to sit down again, and the Exo did so.

The council members turned to each other, murmuring a bit. Their voices were low enough so the camera couldn’t pick up what they were saying. Not even the advanced automatic subtitles option on the pad yielded anything of their conversation.

Robina pulled back from the whispering mass first. “We would like to call the defendant to the stand!” She declared.

Andal stepped up to the stand. He was visibly shaking now, idly picking at his cuffs with his nails. He gulped, feeling all eyes on him.

“Did you actively participate in the murder?”

“I did not kill anybody, but I attempted to kill,” Andal responded. “However, I was not in the right mindset at the time-”

Hinoka stopped him with a hand wave. “Explain what you mean by ‘not the right mindset’, Brask.”

Andal gulped. “I was being influenced by one of Fox’s creations. He controlled my emotions so I would be obsessed with him and Fox.”

“Was this one of the accomplices?” Andal nodded. “Which one?”

“The third one,” Andal answered.

Hinoka slammed her hand on the desk. “I object!” She declared. “If you were as obsessed with the influencer as you claim, you would have been with him at all times, instead of acting alone for a large majority of your plan!”

“She has a point,” Lucy noted.

Zavala cleared his throat. “Witnesses, was he with this influencer?”

Both Cayde and Cedar shook their heads. “No,” they answered.

“Not until the very end,” Cayde added quickly.

Robina crossed her arms. “There cannot be an influencer. If you are as obsessed as you claim to have been, you would have stayed with the influencer at all times during the murders. That was what they would have wanted.”

Andal froze. “I-I...” He looked behind him. “Cayde! You saw the condition of my soul! You know I am not lying!”

Adam glared. “Cayde’s turn for speaking is over. He cannot speak again unless the council asks him to.”

Zavala looked up. “Cayde, you saw Andal’s soul?”

“Yes.”

“Did you see signs of an influence on it?”

“An influence of darkness, yes.”

Once more, the council returned to muttering amongst themselves. Hinoka seemed particularly fired up, grinning, only to be softly whispered to by Lumine right next to her. She seemed to calm down a bit, but still smiled.

After way too long of the muttering, they finally returned to their seats. They stared straight at Andal, who had his head bowed while he shook almost violently on the stand.

“As a council, we have come to a conclusion of this trial,” Zavala stated.

“What is the final verdict?” Adam asked.

“That Andal is guilty of the charges of second-degree murder and participation in first-degree murder.”

Andal suddenly wailed. Clutching his head, he fell to his knees, beginning to sob violently. His entire body spasmed with every heave, tears pouring out down his face.

“Have you decided on the punishment?” Adam questioned.

Shiro straightened up. “Andal has lost the ability to wield firearms. If found with one on his body, he faces up to 15 years in jail. Also, Andal is on Tower lockdown for an indefinite period. He will only be allowed to leave with the council’s approval, and that is only if he gets it. If he is found outside without the council’s approval, he faces up to 20 years of jail.”

“This isn’t right!” Andal screamed. “This isn’t right!”

Zavala stood up. “The final decision has been made. The court is now adjourned.”

As everyone began to scatter, Adam pulled up Andal. Yanking out a set of keys he inserted one into the lock of the cuffs and twisted. Immediately, the metal clasps came undone.

Immediately, Andal ran over to Cayde. He slammed into him, sobbing into his chest and knocking off his hood. Cayde hugged him back tightly, petting his unkempt hair.

“I didn’t want to kill them!” Andal wailed. “Neither of them deserved to die!”

Cayde looked up. He noticed Cedar watching them both with a cold, unfriendly expression. Cayde decided to respond by signaling his thumb drawing across his throat. Cedar got the message, and turned and walked away.

Lance threw the tablet aside. He began to cry himself, ignoring the smashing noise from it cracking open on the ground. He stopped crying once his body began to feel sore again, so resigned himself to sniffling and whimpering like a hurt dog.


	2. The Black Rose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters in chapter:
> 
> -Andal Brask  
-Rowan  
-Cayde-6  
-Carla  
-Queen Hinoka  
-King Xander  
-Leo  
-The Black Rose  
-The Drifter (mentioned)
> 
> Chapter summary:
> 
> While the family deals with hidden turmoils, mysterious circumstances in Hoshido prompt some of them to investigate.

Andal fell to his knees. Automatically, his lungs gasped for air, the rope around his neck having starved them of it. Sweat dripping down his face, he tilted his head up to stare.

Rowan was standing there, whip blade in a shaky hand. His eyes were wide, clearly horrified at what had just happened. He was placed in a brilliant, golden armor, something he had probably come to happily show to Andal. Instead, he had walked in on an attempted suicide.

“What...the FUCK?!” Rowan regained his voice after a moment. He lowered his whip blade, no rope needing to be cut now. “What...?!”

Andal began to remove the noose from his neck. The whip blade was very sharp and clean with its strokes. It had cut a precise line on the rope.

“Answer me, dammit! Why the hell did you...just try to...?!”

“You weren’t...supposed to...” Andal wheezed, still on the ground from having fallen down from hanging.

“Supposed to  _ what _ ?! Walk in on you hanging yourself from the damn ceiling?!” Tears were beginning to fall from Rowan’s eyes. “Tell me why! Why you just tried to do something like that!”

“Because...I have nothing.”

“You have us!”

“Because...your family. But who else?” Andal’s voice sounded wheezy and cracked from the trauma it had just gone through.

Rowan paused, thinking for something else. “Well-!” He completely froze. The realization hit him like a freight train. “Oh my god, you...you really don’t have anything left.”

“I’ve lost the ability to fight like I always have. I can’t even leave the Tower. I’m nothing.” Andal bowed his head. “They should have just killed me. I deserve it.”

Rowan, still trembling, knelt down to meet Andal eye to eye. “You don’t deserve to die, Andal.”

“You aren’t the judge of that,” Andal replied softly. “I am.”

Rowan sighed before helping Andal get the rope around his neck off. “Before you try to ask, I won’t keep this a secret.”

“I wasn’t going to,” Andal answered. “I know you wouldn’t promise something like that.”

Rowan pulled Andal up onto his feet. “You know me well,” he commented.

Something told Rowan Cayde already knew what had happened. He was standing in the hallway of the complex, Andal having just been bunking in a spare room. His arms were crossed, and, due to his Exo complexion, it was still as hard as ever for Rowan to read his emotions. But there was no doubt it was concern or even horror.

“I heard everythin’,” he murmured when Rowan helped Andal by him.

“He needs help,” Rowan answered. “Help that we can’t give.”

“He’ll definitely need therapy. But how the hell can we get a therapist up here?”

Rowan thought for a moment for another solution. “Antidepressants?”

“We can only use those when we know which ones exactly work. There’s been cases of those meds only makin’ people worse.” Cayde gently took Andal away from Rowan before he could grab him back. “By the way, the council called for you. Said it may be the Umbra Mondo actin’ up.”

“Will you take care of him?” Rowan questioned.

Cayde nodded in response. “I’ll be doin’ all I can to help him. You have my word.”

“Thanks, Cayde.”

He gave a smile. “Hey. You’re family, at this point. What else can I do?” He began to help the staggering Andal off, who was still winded.

Rowan stopped entirely. Eyes wide, he watched Cayde nudge open a door to a separate room before helping Andal in. After a few moments, the door was closed and immediately locked.

Finally, he opened up his mouth to whisper in shock, “He called me family.”

It took Rowan a few moments to remember he had just been called by the council. He’ll have to clear this up later. Putting his whipblade on his new belt, he immediately exited out the door, heading straight through the Tower.

The friendly atmosphere vanished from what he called his home forever ago. For half a year, people held their breaths and waited for the trial of Andal Brask. Now that the final verdict had been concluded, there was no reason to be thinking about him. He was forbidden from the front lines, and now an outcast amongst the Alliance. Now, people just had to focus on preparing for the Umbra Mondo’s next move.

People came and went in ships. They went to other worlds, maybe to other galaxies. Rowan had a sudden sour taste when he wished bitterly to be able to actually fly a ship. He crashed the last one, and Carla and their mom’s refused him permission to even touch the controls since.

Her mom. Not theirs. They were together, but they weren’t married. They acted like his family, but they weren’t. He was too different from them. A practical wall was between him and the mere concept of rebuilding a family. He just couldn’t do it, and he never even bothered to try.

Rowan snapped out of his thoughts once he realized he was at the door to the council room. It had been finished a few months ago, completely furnished for any scheduled meetings. Shaking off the feelings now weighing down on his back, he slipped into the room.

All the council members were gathered, either standing or sitting in their assigned seats. The council organizer, Adam, was sitting by, ready to record the following transcript. Rowan immediately noticed Carla standing by, leaning on her lance slightly and looking off into the distance with no focus on the present. He knew she had been hit hard by the final verdict, but she just didn’t want to talk about it. He couldn’t help her if she didn’t want any.

“Rowan.” Shiro looked up. “You’re here.”

Rowan bowed in response. “I came as soon as I could,” he replied as Adam began to write down the conversation. “What seems to be the problem?”

“Do you notice that somebody is missing from our ranks?” King Xander gestured around the table.

Rowan decided to look around. It was hard to tell, given that a few people were standing out of their chairs. However, he remembered quite well there were thirteen members of the council, and currently, there was only twelve.

“Queen Hinoka?” Rowan guessed.

“Precisely,” Ikora replied. “She’s been missing since this morning. King Xander had called this meeting to discuss her disappearance.”

“And then we got reports,” Lucy continued, leaning back in her chair. “A black ship sailing around Hoshidan ports. Umbrati on board, massacring every small town they came across. The pattern on the sails is identical to the rose pattern on the cloak Andal wore while he was under Fox’s control.”

“The Umbra Mondo,” Rowan realized.

“We believe the two occurrences are connected,” Allura clarified. “Queen Hinoka disappears, then a ship of the Umbra Mondo appears and begins attacking the coastal borders.”

Rowan looked around. “And you want me to go and investigate?”

Lucy grinned. “Yup! It’ll be good for your whole Light Incarnate training.”

“Lucy-1, I’ve told you already.” Rowan looked at his palm. It was covered with a black glove and plated by Luxite. “The development in my powers stopped abruptly months ago. I haven’t gotten worse or better. They’re just static now.”

“Please, just Lucy,” she replied. “We’re family!” She either didn’t see Rowan freezing abruptly, or just ignored it. “Cayde and muffin will be going with you. It’ll be like a family outing!”

Rowan fought hard to swallow the lump in his throat. “Family...outing,” he repeated.

“Don’t treat it as if it’s bad!” Lucy smiled. “You’ll get plenty of opportunities to test out your new armor, too.”

Yea, the armor. Rowan got it custom-made by Cysero. It was designed by Carla, last that he heard. But Gabriel later on admitted to him that she had just gave Cysero a sketch of an interpretation of the Light Incarnate. Both of them had a good laugh over how jarring the comparison was, to the expectations and the reality.

Rowan didn’t realize he was nodding until he snapped out of it to say a quick, “Okay.”

Lucy shrugged. “Wonderful. It’s settled. You three will investigate the ship.”

Carla was quick to speak up. “Then I will be in the hangar.” Without another word, she walked out, nudging past Rowan slightly. Her head was down to avoid eye contact with anybody wishing to.

Rowan began to follow when Lucy spoke again. “Hey, Rowan!”

He looked behind him to see Lucy standing up. She strode over to him, and he dimly realized she was a few inches taller than him. The weird strand of hair on her head didn’t really help matters.

Her voice lowered so she was whispering a bit. “You okay?”

“Family...isn’t a thing I’ve had in a long time,” Rowan admitted.

“Hey, it’s alright, Rowan.” Lucy pet his hair, smoothing down some spikes in the process. “You’ve got one now, and it’s going to be really hard to get rid of this one.”

Rowan looked up slightly. He couldn’t help it. A small smile cracked through his still expression.

“Thank you, Lucy.”

“Hey, after the wedding, you’ll be calling me Mom.”

One sock to Lucy’s face later, Rowan was out the door. He could hear Zavala yelling something, and also picked up Echo yelling the classic, “Guardian down!” Did he really punch Lucy that hard? Oh, well. She can recover.

Rowan hasn’t been to either Nohr or Hoshido in what feels like a lifetime. The last time he went there, it was to find the Gleamstones of the Shield of Flames to fight the Chaos Dragon Velezark. Back then, he was just a simple-minded kid. He wishes every once in a while to just go back to those days. He wishes even more to be able to actually have something beyond foggy memories of those times.

Faintly, he tried to remember what Nohr and Hoshido were actually like. Which one was the dark one again? And which one was the one that had the pegasi? The other one had wyverns. Or did one of the kingdoms have both, and the other had neither? He never really poured time into researching or even trying to remember.

He was shaken out of it by a hand being placed on his shoulder. Jumping slightly, he looked to see a familiar Exo staring at him.

“You haven’t said anythin’ this whole time,” Cayde pointed out. “Would you like to talk, or…?”

Rowan looked ahead. All three of them stood in the main room of the Nohrian castle of Krakenburg. King Xander stood by his siblings. On the left was a well-developed woman, but was thankfully in an outfit not too revealing. On his right stood two younger siblings, one a girl and the other Rowan recognized as Leo.

“Oh,” Rowan simply responded. “My mind was elsewhere.”

Camilla smiled. “I do not blame you, you adorable little firefly,” she responded. “You must have a lot of responsibilities, as the one destined to save our universe from that dreadful tyrant, the Shadow Queen.”

Leo huffed. “I’m just hoping he got what we said.”

Rowan chuckled a bit nervously. “No. I didn’t.” Stupid Rowan, he chastised himself. Can’t even focus on a simple explanation. How are you supposed to save the entirety of existence?

Xander frowned, obviously displeased. “Please remind yourself to be more focused, Light Incarnate.”

“Y-Yes, your Highness.” Rowan couldn’t really get flustered, but he was certainly embarrassed.

Camilla crossed her arms. “Queen Hinoka disappeared, as you know. And a strange ship has been sailing in the waters since.”

“We’ll make it simple,” Leo snapped. “The ship was just spotted at a dock near the capital of Hoshido. It hasn’t moved in the past few hours. It may most likely be a trap.”

“Are we the bait, then?” Rowan guessed.

“Sort of,” Leo admitted. “You have the biggest chance of saving the queen from this mysterious attackers, and they know that. They expect a rescue attempt to be made, and quite possibly hope it will be from you.”

Carla huffed impatiently. “The longer we stand by, the more of a chance they will change their mind!” She called.

Cayde shrugged. “Diamond two’s right. We gotta hit the road, kid.”

Before Rowan could say anything, Carla was already pulling him along. “Thank you for the briefing, Your Highnesses!” She called over her shoulder.

Camilla looked over at Xander. “Did we tell them the exact dock?” She questioned him.

Leo shrugged as they slammed the door behind them on their exit. “They’ll figure out which dock it is on their own, sister.”

Outside of the castle, Rowan looked around. The dark atmosphere was sending chills up his spine. He knew it wasn’t on purpose, but he could only think back to the Umbra Mondo.

“You alright, kiddo?” Cayde piped up upon looking at Rowan.

Rowan jumped a little before looking. “What? Yeah. I’m fine. It’s just...” He looked up. “I know it wasn’t on purpose, but this place reminds me a lot of the Umbra Mondo.”

Cayde huffed. “Don’t worry, Rowan. This place isn’t like it.” He grinned. “There’s a lot more crime here!”

“Gee, thanks for the pep talk,” Rowan snarked.

Cayde, whether he knew it or not, got on Rowan’s thin nerves more times than he would like to admit. But it wasn’t his fault. It’s just that Rowan’s patience over the years has been worn down to extremely little. Five years of isolated imprisonment and such will do that to somebody.

Fortunately, Cayde knew when to back off. He raised his hands in mock surrender, gaining a more gentle tone. “I’m just sayin’,” he murmured, and said nothing more on the matter.

Carla looked over before Rowan could say anything. “We need to go,” she gently reminded them. “Hoshido’s shoreline is a little less than an hour away by ship.”

“You got it, diamond two!” Cayde was already running off. “Race you back to the ship!”

Rowan looked surprised. “Huh? Hey!” He bolted after them. “Wait for me, Cayde!”

Carla walked in last, not changing her pace. “Can we just be serious here?”

Before long, all three of them were back in the jumpship. Cayde was at the controls, pulling on the controls so the ship would make its way into the sky. Carla hung in the back by Rowan, their shoulders barely touching.

Rowan could tell Carla was once more thinking of other things. Her face relaxed, and her mouth went straight. Her eyes glazed over a bit, staring off into the rough area of the horizon. The darkness of Nohr was beginning to fade into the lush environment of Hoshido once they crossed over the mountains which made up the border.

“Carla?” he tried to ask.

She snapped back to attention, and looked over. “Hm?”

“Do you...want to talk about...?”

Carla immediately looked away again. “No,” she replied, cutting his thoughts off.

“It’s...not right to keep it bottled up,” Rowan pointed out. “I’m here for you.”

“I’m fine, alright?”

“I can...tell you’re not.” Rowan reached out to take Carla’s hand. “We’re supposed to be there for each other. We need to-”

The ship shook a bit. Rowan stumbled to the side while Carla managed to stay in place. Cayde himself looked at the controls, seeming to have hit a bit of turbulence.

“Sorry about that!” he called over his shoulder. “You two alright?”

Carla looked away from both of the boys. “We’re fine.”

Whatever was just between him and Carla, it was gone now. Interrupted as quickly as it could have been. Rowan got back upright from leaning on the wall for support. He stood back in place, adjusting his Luxite armor absentmindedly.

“What about you, Rowan? Are you doin’ fine?”

Rowan looked up. “Yea. I’m good.”

“Get ready, then. We’ll be at the shoreline in about five minutes!”

Carla looked over. “Maybe you can see if it’s changed in any way.”

Rowan shook his head. “I don’t remember the last time I’ve been in Hoshido,” he admitted. “Feels like a lifetime ago.”

“That’s because it kind of was,” Carla replied. “Back then, you were just a prince. Now, you’re the one destined to save the entire universe from being destroyed by darkness.”

“...Carla?”

“What?”

Rowan tilted his head, as if considering his next words. “Is darkness inherently bad?”

“That’s the way I was taught. Darkness is nothing but poison in one’s veins. But after going to the Lux Mondo, and then meeting the Shadow Queen in person...” Carla paused. “I don’t know. Queen Isyn was rude and acted like she was of a higher existence than us. And the Shadow Queen was...nice. She gave us back my uncle with no strings attached. She even tried to repair the damage she did to him.”

“What do you think, Cayde?” Rowan asked. “Is the darkness bad?”

“Definitely,” Cayde answered. “The darkness destroyed my entire world centuries ago, in the Collapse. All of us were scattered for ages after that. Guardians weren’t Guardians back then. They were Risen.”

Rowan frowned. “What’s the difference between Guardians and Risen?”

“Risen was the term for us lightbearers in the Dark Ages. We didn’t really have leadership back then. Most of us were nothin’ but scum. We took over cities. Called ourselves warlords. Formed colonies in a mad attempt for survival. It was practically the closest thing to hell. Can’t imagine how the civilians dealt with it. The Dark Ages ended when the Last City was built, and the Vanguard was formed. But there are a few of us who remember the Dark Ages vividly.”

“Do you remember?” Carla asked, now as curious as Rowan.

“No. I got reset multiple times. I don’t remember it personally. Think I was Cayde-1, 2, or 3 during the Dark Ages. I don’t know. I do know some guys who were there durin’ those times, though.” Cayde gave a laugh. “Those guys have lost their entire faith in Light, lemme tell you.”

“Like who?” Rowan asked.

“There was this one guy. Nobody knew his real name. Everyone called him the Drifter. He helped me out a few times, I helped him in return. He was one of the oldest Guardians out there. He had a lot of wisdom and survival tactics. He actually used to be in the Tower, though I don’t think your mom met him.”

Carla frowned. “Used to?”

“When the Umbrati attacked, he fled in his ship. Never came back. He dropped completely off the radar. It’s almost been a year, and he’s still gone. He may even be dead at this point. Or who knows? Maybe he’s even a secret little third party, underminin’ Fox in the same way Kurami and her resistance are doin’: without our knowledge, without our help, and probably breaking a lotta laws doin’ it.” Cayde shrugged. “He’s a real crafty guy like that.”

“Do you think he might show up again?”

Cayde swayed his head, considering that. “You never know. I didn’t hear from him for years, and apparently, as soon as I die, he comes rollin’ in. He even leaves a bit before I come back. Long story short, we’ll have to wait and see if he is even alive to start off.”

It wasn’t long after that discussion when Cayde landed the ship. He leaned to view the area, and immediately noted a landing platform a bit out of place within Hoshido. Regardless, he touched down, and seemed to have no problem while doing so.

He abruptly stood up, and turned to face the other two. “Alright, kids!” He cheered. “Ready to go save a queen?”

Carla smiled. “We’ll be right behind you,” she responded.

All three immediately vacated the ship. Rowan felt naturally compelled to stay sheltered in it. However, duty called. His opinion was worth nothing. His mental stature could wait.

Once he stepped outside, he felt strangely dizzy. A deep feeling welled up in his gut. He threatened to faint right on the spot. He made a gulping noise before slinking behind in last.

Hoshido was but a faint memory in his head. Still, he could distinguish its unique trees. However, his internal data picked them up as Japanese trees. He hated these stupid scanning implements when he wasn’t in a fight.

All three of them were heading down the stone road. All around, pink blossoms would find their way off of the branches and onto the ground. They folded in softly underneath their boots as they walked along.

Rowan looked up at the sound of a seagull. “We landed so close to the shore?” He wondered out loud.

“I told you we were landin’ at the shoreline,” Cayde answered. “But yeah, we landed pretty damn close to the docks.”

Carla looked around. “There isn’t a single living person in sight...”

Cayde looked over at Rowan. “Hey, you can sense souls by their light, right?”

Rowan sighed. “My powers haven’t developed that far, Cayde. It goes to distinguishing the different sparks a Ghost of the Traveler has, but that is as detailed as I can go.”

“There’s no need.” Carla placed a hand on the stone wall following the road. “We’re at the town. And you don’t need a second look to see something is really wrong.”

All three looked. They were at the gate at this point. It was less of a gate now, more of a walkway. The barred doors were blown off their hinges, and now laid on the ground.

Despite there being a forced entry, there was no sign of any struggle. The entire town on the docks was completely quiet, save for the wind of the ocean and the squawking seagulls circling overhead. There were too many houses for everyone to be completely gone.

“Whatever came in through here...” Rowan looked at the broken gate. “These people had no chance against it.”

“What do you think happened?” Cayde asked.

Carla scowled. “What else? They were consumed by darkness. Otherwise, there would be more signs of a fight.”

The dizzy feeling was still there. Rowan had to will himself to keep on his feet.

Cayde stepped forward into the town. Hands on his hips, he looked around. He blinked twice, then seemed to shake off something.

“This isn’t normal,” he declared. “An entire town dedicated to fishin’ can’t be missin’ entirely. There would at least be a few boats out there for gettin’ their daily catches.”

“I don’t feel so well,” Rowan murmured.

Carla looked over, and her expression softened. “Do you need to sit down?”

“Something is wrong here,” he continued. “We need to leave.”

“Not without the queen!” Cayde returned, beginning to walk back to the two younger heroes.

Carla looked over. “Rowan’s barely standing up as it is.”

“By logic, that means the queen is here. They Light Incarnate-proofed the place. What other reason would they do that?” Cayde looked at Carla continuing to glare at him. “Alright. You guys hang by the gate. I’ll try goin’ into the town.”

“No!” Carla suddenly snapped, and Cayde lunged back a bit. “You’re a Guardian. If this is affecting light, it’ll hurt you.”

“I’m not lettin’ my own kid in there,” Cayde protested.

“I’m the one who has the highest chance of making it out alive. You know this, Dad.”

“Diamond two, you’ve been through a really rough patch in your life. I don’t want to send you to your death when you have so many loose ends. You’ll die with a lot of regrets, and I’ll go out with the biggest one: practically killin’ you.”

Carla grabbed Cayde’s hand suddenly. “What would Mom think if you left her again?”

Cayde opened his mouth, then closed it. He looked down at his feet, avoiding eye contact. Carla knew she won the argument without any other words uttered.

“Stay with Rowan. Promise me that, Dad.”

“I don’t break promises.”

“I’m serious!”

Cayde gave a sigh. “Only if you promise to come back in one piece.”

“I will, Dad.” Carla held her lance by her side, returning his gaze.

“Stay safe.”

“Got it.”

The chrono angel turned on her heel. Walking further into the town, she left Cayde and Rowan standing or sitting by the gate. From there, the eerie silence of the docks returned, the seagulls becoming faint now.

Cayde sat down next to Rowan struggling for breath. “Should we go back to the path, or at least to the other side of the gate?”

“Yea. Yea, I think that may help.”

The Hunter helped Rowan onto his feet, letting him lean on him. “Alright. Keep it steady. Just hold onto me if you feel you’re gonna faint.”

As soon as the two boys stepped over the broken gates and got back onto the stone road, a huge weight was alleviated. Rowan still felt sick, but he was marginally better on his feet.

The Light Incarnate took the time to lean against the stone wall of the road. “Thanks, Cayde.”

“Anytime, kiddo.” Cayde affectionately ruffled his hair in response.

Once more, Rowan’s mind shut down. He stared at Cayde, as if bewildered by what just came out of his mouth. It seemed he could not come up with a valid conclusion to the meaning of those words.

“You alright?” Cayde questioned, the smile in his voice vanishing.

“Why do you keep calling me family?” Rowan questioned.

Cayde paused at that. “Well, because you are,” he responded. “Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that, you know?”

“Well, I guess not, but...” Rowan paused. “I’m not...used to being called family. I haven’t been called that in a very long time.”

“And that’s bad...why?”

He looked down. “I just get reminded of my family. And it hurts being reminded of them. I miss Mother and my sister so much.”

Cayde sighed. “If you want to talk about it, then talk about it. It’s not healthy to keep it all in, like you told my daughter.”

“...It was all my fault.”

The Exo seemed surprised. “Huh?”

“I was thinking about how I lost my family for a large majority of my solitary confinement. Seeing how he is with the Shadow Queen now, I think somehow, Fox knew the prophecy of Light and Shadow Incarnate. He attacked Aytolis in an attempt to find them. In short, as Light Incarnate...I brought him to my home.”

“Rowan...” Cayde started.

“And that’s not all! After he killed my mother, he concluded that Lianna wasn’t the Shadow Incarnate either. After I had initially escaped, I was captured again. I was...forced by him to kill her.” Rowan began to cry. “I murdered my own sister, Cayde. And the worst part was, she was okay with it! She was okay with me killing her! Why was she okay with it?!”

Cayde said nothing. His arms reached out and pulled Rowan into a gentle hug. He could feel Rowan begin to sob into his shirt, shaking like a leaf.

“It’s okay, kid,” Cayde murmured. “It’s alright. That was years ago.”

“It still hurts to think about it...I killed my own sister...I caused the death of my mother...”

“So what if you did? You didn’t mean it. You were forced to.”

“I’m probably going to be forced to kill my family again...My stupid life works that way...He’s going to make me hurt you, and Lucy, and Carla, and Talli...!”

Cayde grabbed his face. “Rowan! I promise you that that will never happen. I won’t let it.”

“It might...”

“It will never. I promise.”

“...Swear on it?”

“I swear that I’ll stop you from hurtin’ any of us. So trust me. Can you do that, kiddo?”

Finally, Rowan weakly nodded. “Yes. I can trust you, Cayde.”

“That’s a good kid.” Cayde released his face from his grip. “Just put your faith in me. I’ll do anythin’ to keep you and my family on the right side.”

Rowan smiled. “Thank you. I do feel a bit better from having spoken.”

“Hey, it’s what a dad do-”

Immediately, there was the twang of a bow, and a bolt of shadow flown between the two of them. It nearly grazed Cayde’s face, and seeing it pass made Rowan’s stomach drop. Neither moved while it sank into the ground about twenty feet away.

At the gate stood a woman. Her entire body was covered in a black and purple robe. A helmet covered her face, hiding any appearance or emotion. In her hand was a bow made from the darkness that now lit up her body. She lowered it, staring at the two men.

When she spoke, an automated voice came out. “Cayde-6. Ex-King Rowan.”

Rowan immediately drew the whipblade. “Where’s Carla?!” he immediately questioned.

“Deeper into the town. But there’s no way for you to get to her. The spell of darkness cast on it will destroy both of you and your light before you make it to the heart.”

“Knew somethin’ was wrong with it,” Cayde commented, twirling the Ace of Spades.

“While she deals with my minions, that will give me about ten minutes to kill both of you.” The woman pulled back the bowstring, and another arrow formed in the resting place. “That is more than enough time.”

Immediately, Rowan threw the whipblade forward. Its blade shot at the woman, who cleanly rolled out of the way, only to narrowly dodge Cayde’s wall of bullets heading her way.

“Damn, she’s fast,” Cayde commented.

“Who are you?!” Rowan demanded, letting the whipblade return to its natural form.

“I am the Black Rose. One of Lord Fox’s prized soldiers and generals.” The woman stood back up on her feet, the bow still ready to release the arrow. “Anything else you question, I will not answer.”

Cayde smiled. “Are you allergic to bullets?” He asked just before he began to fire again.

The Black Rose and Cayde got into a long-ranged fight. Arrows landed all around Cayde as bullet holes appeared in the ground and wall around the mysterious woman. He managed to topple an entire tree with just bullets when the Black Rose hid behind it.

Rowan raised a hand. “Stop! You’re just causing collateral damage by this tactic!”

Cayde lowered his gun. “Well, what do you suggest?”

“Perhaps not firing blindly?” Rowan sarcastically replied before running forward, whipblade ready.

The Black Rose immediately swapped weapons. Placing her bow on her back, she drew a shadowy katana from her belt. Swinging it, she managed to deflect Rowan’s blade, hitting it aside.

Rowan looked surprised. “That’s a...Hoshidan blade?”

“Yes,” was her simple response before slamming it into the whipblade, putting Rowan on the defensive.

Rowan noted the katana pressing into his shoulder. The plating on it acted like butter with the sword, letting it slide in easily. Looks like the Luxite armor protected no part of him from darkness.

Rowan skidded back a bit. “Cayde! I need some help!”

Cayde erupted in Solar energy, and raised his gun as it was engulfed in a golden fire. Lowering it, he fired three times, each shot a brilliant blast of yellow.

The first two times, it hit the Black Rose right in the side. She stumbled back, and looked up as Cayde readied a third shot. Thinking fast, she darted to the side, causing Cayde’s instincts to shoot where she would estimately stop moving.

And he hit Rowan right in the chest.

Immediately, Rowan went limp. He flew back in the air, slamming into the wall with sudden force. The Black Rose looked over at him fall, holding her burnt side, as Cayde looked horrified.

“Rowan!” Cayde ran over to the Light Incarnate unmoving on the ground.

The Black Rose stepped back. Behind her, darkness congregated to form a portal. Without any hesitation, she ran straight through it, abandoning the scene.

Cayde knelt down to Rowan. The Luxite armor on his chest has melted from the shot, exposing his white undershirt. His skin, however, wasn’t the slightest bit damaged.

As the Exo lifted up the boy to see if he could shake him awake, he paused. Rowan was warming up slowly. Cayde could swear even his hair was getting even more gold. But that had to have been just him, right?

A bright explosion spread out from the two. Cayde was sent flying into the opposite wall, and hit it hard. Falling to the ground, he scrambled up fast, limping a bit from the aggravated scars.

“Dad?!”

Cayde looked up. Carla was sprinting over, her looks more noticeably frazzled. Behind her was a limping individual, holding their arm and looking upset.

“We had them!” Queen Hinoka was saying. “And then they just fled!”

Carla got on her knees once they passed through the gate. Sweat was dripping down her face, and the arm that held her lance actually shook a bit. However, her exhaustion was put aside as she stared at Rowan.

“What happened?”

“This lady attacked us,” Cayde grunted. “She was fast, and really good at makin’ me accidentally shoot Rowan. My shot blasted right through his armor like it was butter. When I checked on him, he kind of exploded.”

Carla looked up. Rowan was staggering up, using the wall to support himself. Most of his armor was falling to the ground, burned by the light having rocketed out from him. He only was wearing an undershirt and shorts, now.

He rubbed his eyes, grunting. “That hurt,” he noted dryly.

Hinoka walked over. She seemed to reach out to help support him, but immediately reeled back. “You’re burning to the touch! How has your own body not melted like your armor yet?!”

“I don’t know, but I’m happy it isn’t,” Rowan admitted. “It would hurt even more.”

Carla walked over. “Queen Hinoka, we didn’t really get time to talk before the Umbrati attacked. Are you alright?”

“I’m exhausted, but just fine.” Hinoka rubbed the back of her neck.

Cayde headed over as well. “Your Highness, what exactly happened?”

Hinoka sighed. “This morning, the castle was flooded with Umbrati. I only noticed it when the retainers of my siblings vanished. They had been working in the castle, even after losing their jobs as retainers. I was personally encountered by a woman named the Black Rose. I was promptly seized by her, and dragged off to this coastal town.”

“The Black Rose is who attacked us,” Rowan explained. “She must have been waiting for Carla to enter the town, knowing very well that only she can enter without facing any effects from the spell of darkness on it.” He sighed. “That large ship going around was definitely supposed to lure us out to save the queen.”

Cayde scowled as Carla looked oddly at Rowan. “Well, she’s gone, now. Probably fleein’ back to the Umbra Mondo now.”

Carla looked surprised. “Rowan, your hair!”

“Huh?” He patted it down. “What about it?”

“Some of it is...white.”

To see this, Cayde snagged a lock of Rowan’s hair and inspected it. It was hard to tell, as the golden color did not show in the sunlight as easier as other colors would. However, he noticed a few strands of white mixed into the hair.

He slowly let go. “She’s right. You’re gettin’ old there.”

“I am?” Rowan rubbed his hair.

Cayde gave a wry grin. “You’re gettin’ your silver hairs before I’m gettin’ mine, kiddo!”

“Better to have gray hair then having no hair.”

“Shush!”

Carla sighed. “We need to escort the queen back to the capital,” she interjected. “So can we leave now?”

Rowan ruffled up his hair again. “Yea. I’m going to get Cysero to try making a new set of armor. Note to self: Luxite is a light conductor, and overloading it melts it. And shadow-based magic and weapons destroy it the same way. I need a lot less Luxite in the next armor.”

There was nothing they could do for the people having been living in the small town. Their souls have been consumed by the darkness in a ploy to bring out and kill the Light Incarnate. They had to leave this place behind.

While they were leaving, Rowan paused. A delicate warmth had just been laid on his shoulder, is if a hand was being placed onto it. He looked behind, but nobody was there. Everyone was in front of him.

“Rowan?” Carla called. 

“Coming!” He began to follow once more.

_ “Good luck, my descendent...We’ll come together one day, when you awaken your powers truly.” _

Rowan once more looked behind. The woman’s voice had no speaker. Nobody was there.

The Black Rose was now beyond their reach. Reaching out into the shadows, she made it to the Umbra Mondo in one fluid movement. She’s become an expert at slipping through the darkness to get from place to place.

She landed delicately in her room in the castle. Immediately, she entered a clockwork routine. Putting both her katana and her bow on hooks next to the door, she walked over to the dresser, a mirror hanging over it. She undid the clasps on her helmet, then yanked it off.

Her pink hair has been darkened to a maroon color from lack of sunlight exposure. Otherworlder Reploid markings adorned her childlike face, having not matured once in five years. And her eyes have lost their glow, instead now nothing but a dull pinkish hue.

Sakura, the lost Hoshidan royal, stared at the reflection of the Black Rose in the mirror.

_ “Sakura,” _ Fox called in the depths of her mind.

“Lord Fox.”

_ “Have you completed your mission?” _

“Partially. The Light Incarnate has been able to press forward in unlocking his true capacity, but it is a long way, and I only succeeded in doing so much.”

_ “I understand. The Shadow Queen had a difficult time unlocking her own power’s capacity. It was only after the Otherworlder War that she could succeed in doing so. But you have done enough, my subject. I chose well in converting you to our cause.” _

“I am forever thankful and grateful to your choice, Lord Fox.”


	3. Stabilizing the Reef

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters in chapter:
> 
> -Krolia  
-Jolyon Till the Rachis  
-Cypress  
-Nythera  
-Faro  
-Uldren Sov  
-Pulled Pork  
-Keith (mentioned)  
-Takumi (mentioned)  
-The Drifter (mentioned)
> 
> Chapter summary:
> 
> Jolyon Till pleads his case to the Blade of Marmora, and Faro tells a story.

Krolia stared at the Awoken before them. “You need our help,” she repeated slowly.

“To be honest, we do,” Jolyon Till the Rachis admitted. “Are you surprised?”

“Very. The last time the Reef talked to us, it was to take one of our best soldiers who had no obvious intention of going.”

“You don’t understand,” Jolyon retorted. “Mara Sov is gone. And so is Petra Venj.”

All of the Blades sitting in the same room paused. Even Cypress looked up from her data pad. However, she was very well smiling from those words put into that exact order.

“I’m afraid I don’t follow,” Krolia admitted.

“Our queen is gone, and most of her military have been almost completely dissolved. Out of the seven Paladins used that control the military, only four are still alive. Nobody is even leading the queen’s personal Royal Awoken Guard. They are as good as dead. Our populations are dwindling. Martial law is about to be put in effect!”

Krolia paused, her face falling. “And I still don’t understand what you want us to do, Jolyon Till. We cannot lead an entire civilization.”

“Not lead. Find some way to keep it from falling apart.” Jolyon stepped back a bit, hands raised in an attempt to prove his point.

Krolia only looked away. “I don’t know. I’m going to have to refer to the council for that. They have the ability to help, not us.”

Jolyon looked around. “Where’s Uldren?”

“Pleading his case to the council. Like always.” Krolia sighed. “He really wants to be allowed to get into the Umbra Mondo.”

Jolyon frowned. “But that is a suicide mission.”

“Exactly why he has been denied time and time again. It won’t stop him.” She paused, looking at the Blades over her shoulders. “It’s been half a year since we lost Keith after losing Takumi. Every day is another day of not knowing what happened to him and whether he is alive or not.”

At once, all the Blades went quiet. They looked back at Krolia with sad expressions. A lot of them felt bile rising in their throats, and visibly swallowed in an attempt to force it down. Quickly, they began to try and force themselves back to doing their own thing, but quickly lost focus on their tasks.

Jolyon paused. “I forgot that the reason Uldren is now an official is because you lost one,” he remarked quietly.

“We all miss him,” Krolia returned. “I at least want to know if he’s alive or not. I’ll be satisfied with that. But now, I’m separated from him again.”

The door creaked open, then was abruptly slammed onto the wall in a fit of anger. Everybody immediately jumped and looked up. Uldren was walking in, his head hung and his entire Blade gear on over his face.

“Denied?” Cypress merely asked.

“How’d you guess?” He bit back, sitting down and crossing one leg over the other.

“Because it’s always the same, every time,” Nythera answered, filing her nails.

Uldren looked up and noticed the visitor. “An Awoken?”

Krolia looked at him. “Uldren, this is Jolyon Till the Rachis. He’s asking for help for the Reef to not plummet into utter chaos.”

“And why us?” Uldren’s voice became even more bitter.

“I don’t know. Why did you seek us out specifically, Jolyon Till?”

Jolyon sighed, falling a bit silent. “Because I knew Uldren personally. And despite his harsh demeanor, he wouldn’t hesitate in helping his people.”

“That man is dead,” Uldren suddenly snapped. “I have no reason to help the Reef.”

Cypress glanced up, frowning. “It was your home.”

“Was. It isn’t my home now.”

The Blades fell quiet. Krolia looked back at Jolyon, and only shook her head. The Awoken himself flinched at that, but seemed to have no energy to argue. He actually looked very tired at that moment, his frown becoming a still emotion.

“Right,” he murmured. “I’ll leave you all to it, then.” Jolyon turned on his heel and began to walk out, slipping out the door quietly.

Once the door closed, Krolia turned. Her face raised, and it slammed into the wall. Rubble fell out of the new dent, though she didn’t remove her knuckles. Instead, she let it rest in the crack. Her eyes decided to look around at the numerous other dents in the wall, from previous fits of outrage. Most were very recent.

“What have we become?” Krolia asked to nobody in particular.

“Cowards,” Nythera answered bleakly. “We’ve done no risks. We’ve taken no missions.”

“Because we’re not allowed,” Krolia continued. “Because the Alliance has become a shut-in.” She lifted her head, then looked at Faro. “Was it like this when Cayde died?”

Faro merely looked at the ground. “You’ll be surprised when I say that it was worse,” he responded.

“We had to take that offer,” Cypress declared. “The Reef on our side would have been more beneficial beyond words.”

Krolia whipped her head to look. “The Blade has been dying even before it could begin here!” she snapped. “What could we have done?! We would have been hated the moment we set foot into the Reef!”

Faro got up. “Calm down, Commander.”

“I thought I could do something.” Her voice grew quiet. “I thought I could help the Alliance. We were doing so well, too. Then Takumi died, and...and I...I realized that the Blade has lost its touch.”

For a few moments, everybody was quiet. Uldren continued to leave his head in his hands, and a few Blades began to look at him in concern.

“Hey, Uldren?” Nythera looked concerned. “Have you been getting enough sleep? You look pale.”

“How can I possibly?” Uldren replied. “Every night, I see Keith and Tak’s faces, bloody and mauled...They taunt me, saying it’s my fault both are...g-gone. I haven’t gotten a good night’s sleep in months, I always nearly fall asleep whenever I stand up abruptly...”

Pulled Pork appeared. “It’s true. I’ve been trying to get him better sleep. Herbal tea, physical exhaustion...nothing really works, because he just wakes up screaming a few hours later.”

“Can’t you just heal his mental damage?” Faro asked.

“I can heal physical wounds, not mental,” the Ghost only responded.

Everyone went completely quiet in that moment. Instead, they began to look at each other, faces falling to sad frowns.

Uldren stood up, and moved to the door. He looked at nobody, but gathered everyone’s attention when he yanked open the door and peeked out.

“Jolyon!” He called, then paused. “We’ll take your offer.”

Only a couple of hours later, all of them were piled in a large ship. Jolyon and Krolia were in the cockpit, leaving the twenty-something Blades to wander the hull.

Faro was sitting criss-cross on an empty table, grinning at his fellow members. “Have you guys ever head of the mystery of the ghost planet?”

“Let me guess: Some lifeless planet than is doomed to kill anyone that wanders onto it.” Despite having just filed her nails, Nyhera inspected them with a harsh eye.

“Close, but no. You know the Drifter, right?’

Cypress frowned. “Never heard of them.”

“He was a Lightbearer that entered the Tower, promising power and riches to all those who walked the line between light and darkness. I call him a Lightbearer because he wasn’t considered a Guardian. He didn’t have the same honor around him. He ran a thing called Gambit, and picked out the best of the Guardians within it. He got those Guardians on his side, then brought them to his ship.

“See, his ship was called the Derelict. And it had a huge chunk of land constantly pulled along by it. That thing was given to him by some mysterious people called the Nine. So, he took these Guardians, and ran them through the ringer in this chunk of land. See, they called it the Reckoning. The Guardians who succeeded were blessed the ability to see visions of the past and future by the Nine. They spoke of a great darkness about to fight the light of the Traveler, and that Guardians needed to prepare for it.”

Uldren leaned forward. “The Umbra Mondo?”

“No. It was the Darkness of this timeline. The direct rival of the Traveler. The Nine wanted them to know a war was coming. But this Drifter man wanted nothing to do with it. Apparently, he was scared of this war, and was instead gathering Guardians to run away with him to avoid the fight. However, this specific fight never came to be, because apparently, exactly one week before the Umbra Mondo attacked, the Nine went dead quiet.”

Cypress actually seemed interested. “What happened to them?”

“Nobody knows. A large majority of people believe steadfast that they were killed by the Umbra Mondo. I mean, they probably consumed the Darkness to gain power in this timeline. What’s to say the Nine weren’t safe? To be honest, anywhere where there isn’t light isn’t safe at all.” Faro suddenly laughed, leaning back. “Anyways, the Drifter immediately fled the Tower. Then the Umbra Mondo comes. Why did they single out this timeline? What’s their vendetta? I mean, our resident angel Carla entered it. No doubt they wanted to trap her and prevent her escape.”

“You’re saying this timeline was used as...as a cage?” Nythera questioned.

“It’s only logical. Immediate consumption could give her time to flee. However, manipulation of darkness...Oh, you could trap anyone like a fly. Just some manipulation here, some goading there, and bam. You’ve got yourself a trapped angel.”

“Why is this story called a ghost planet story?” Nythera snarked.

“I’m getting there. Just a few months ago, a few Guardians found a very peculiar sight. There, floating in the middle of space, was an abandoned chunk of land.”

“The one the Drifter had?” Uldren asked.

“Indeed! It was just there. It was left behind. No Derelict pulling it along. There wasn’t even wreckage of a ship. Did the Drifter abandon it? Did he lose it? Again, nobody knows. Which raises the question...where is he today? Is he even alive?”

Nythera rolled her eyes, unamused. “Why are you telling us this?”

“Just an interesting tale that any normal person should ponder every now and then.”

The ship shuddered slightly, then everyone was jostled at a light bump. The sensation of landing familiar to them, everyone began to get up, walking towards the cockpit to meet up with Jolyon and Krolia.

“You know, he would have liked you.”

Uldren looked at Faro. “Huh?”

“The Drifter. He would have liked you. Seeing both your past life and your Guardian life, walking the line of darkness and light is quite a hobby of yours.”

Instead of being complimented, Uldren scowled. “I don’t walk the line. I am loyal to the Light.”

“I’m not saying it’s bad.” Faro walked by Uldren. “I’m saying that maybe, one day, you’ll need to take a side.”

“Stop talking cryptic nonsense!”

The Awoken gave Uldren a grin. “I’m not talking like that, cousin. After all, the Drifter did believe Light and Darkness are really just powers in the end. They’re on the same side of a coin. No difference between them. There’s no offense to taking either.”

Uldren gulped. Faro had obviously rubbed him the wrong way, judging by his expression. Trying to force down the sudden worry, he followed the other Blades down the walkway.

Krolia was sitting in the main pilot’s seat as Blades peeked in. She was staring out at the Reef, focusing on the group of Awoken standing by the platform they had just landed at. Worry can be felt radiating off of her.

“And who are they?” She questioned.

“Those are the Paladins still alive and assuming military control over the Reef.” Jolyon began pointing them out. “Those three are the Royal Armada Paladins, Hallam Fen, Kamala Rior, and Leona Bryl. And that one is the last Royal Army Paladin, Devi Cassl.”

Krolia frowned. “Four out of seven are still alive, you said?”

“Yes. There has been...no time to be able to replace our three fallen cousins.” Jolyon glanced over at Uldren. “They have caught wind of your revival. I will apologize in advance if they show a cold shoulder to you.”

Uldren only looked downwards. “I do not blame them if they hate me.” His hand raised up, and he activated his mask while saying this.

With everyone else equipping their masks, immediately, a proper air settled. Uldren and Krolia became rigid, their titles as Blade officials requiring them to be the face of their soldiers. The other Blades fell into a strict formation behind them. Jolyon hung around to the side, merely adjusting his cloak.

Stepping outside of the ship, Uldren’s chest seized up. He could feel the Paladins scanning the crowd, as if hoping to see him. He even saw one place their hand on the gun at their waist. He thanked Krolia silently to include a mask with his official outfit. He still feels at least slightly shameful about having this face.

The Paladins, however, were polite enough to bow slightly as both he and Krolia walked up to them. “Blade officials Krolia…” Kamara Rior looked up slightly to stare at Uldren. “And Uldren Sov.”

“The ‘Sov’ is not necessary,” Uldren replied with his most steady voice. “That is not who I am anymore. It is just Uldren.”

All of the Paladins actually looked surprised. One’s eyes widened, and two of them exchanged quick glances with each other. Uldren smirked under his mask at this slight victory.

“You want our support to reclaim power in the Reef.” Krolia started the discussion with a repeat of what Jolyon has transcribed to her.

Leona Bryl looked away. “You know we wouldn’t be seeking help from the traitor to our people if we truly did not need it.”

Uldren still didn’t react outwardly. “What do you require assistance with?”

“Everything. Regaining control over certain parts of the Reef, repairing buildings that have been destroyed…”

“Which is why you came to the group that has your enemy number one in it,” Uldren replied. He felt a sharp poke from Krolia’s elbow into his rib, but felt it was worth it.

Krolia quickly spoke up before any Paladin could reply. “The Blade of Marmora can aid you, but I do suggest joining the Alliance for optimal assistance.”

While it looked like none of them were even thinking about that offer, Devi Cassl nodded. “We will consider it, but it is not a priority of ours.”

“Then fine.” Krolia extended a hand. “We will aid in the recovery of the Reef.”

None of the Paladins reached out, and Hallam only nodded. “We thank you and your efforts.”

Uldren swore he could hear Nythera say something in a language he didn’t understand. He looked back to see her looking away, a Blade he recognized as Cypress looking up at her.

“What was that?” Cypress questioned quietly.

“A reason I hope none of these Paladins understand the language of dragons.”

It was definitely an insult.


	4. Behind Their Backs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters in chapter:
> 
> -Artix von Krieger  
-Jadir  
-Eagle-12  
-Theodore  
-Allura  
-Variks  
-Mithrax  
-Cayde-6
> 
> Chapter summary:
> 
> The actions of the morally gray to protect others stir up in many, and Artix worries for the future of him and his kinderguardian students.

Artix watched dumbfounded. Daimyo was sitting in his lap, peeking over the edge of the table at his kinderguardians on the other side. They all had their helmets on the table, staring at him.

“I don’t...understand the statement,” he admitted.

“We were asked to help Mithrax, Variks, and Allura break into the deepest parts of the Tower and stop the spread of a deadly assimilation virus,” Jadir repeated.

Artix raised his hands. “Your repetition is very vague, my students, so I would like a bit more detail. What do you mean by the deepest parts?”

Eagle-12 pointed upwards. “We mean the wreckage that the Alliance has yet to clean up. The old Tower was destroyed a few years ago, in the Red War against a slug named Gary.”

“Ghaul,” Artix corrected.

“You don’t know, teacher, you weren't there. Anyways, it’s currently pending for repairs. Due to the sudden surplus of supplies, mostly imported from other worlds, it’s arriving sooner than you think.” Eagle paused. “Which is why we need to break in tonight, not tell the Alliance, and steal an old weapon created by the Young Wolf before repairs can begin.”

Artix nodded slowly. “I sort of get...” He braked to a halt, registering the words. “Wait, not tell the Alliance?! That’s...basically treason!”

Theodore frowned. “Teacher, listen. We need to get that gun before anyone else finds out about it. If it wasn’t for Mithrax, we might not have ever known, and we would have found it in the midst of repairing the Tower, which would only mean bad things.”

“I don’t get it. What is this weapon?”

“It’s a gun.” Jadir suddenly grew serious. “Crafted out of forbidden data. That data has killed a lot of Guardians. And now, after two years of rotting up in the abandoned Tower, its data has reactivated. And it’s duplicating itself.”

Artix tilted his head a bit. “Why are you telling this to me? Why not this Young Wolf you mentioned? He’s the creator, right?”

“They are, but the Young Wolf is dead.” Artix paused, watching Theodore. “They died in the very first Umbrati attack. Little to no fanfare.” The Titan shrugged. “Yea. You would expect a legend like them to go down in a blaze of glory, but...no. Nothing.”

Eagle stood up. “Enough. We’ve kept them waiting long enough.”

Artix looked worried. “Students...”

“You don’t have to come. We just wanted to tell you where we’ll be for the next couple of hours.” Jadir began to rise from his seat.

The paladin suddenly stood up, and Daimyo leapt out of his lap on instinct. “I’ll get Andal on the phone. He’s my number-one dog-sitter.”

Eagle looked surprised. “You’re-?”

“Of course I am. I am your teacher.” Artix picked up his axe, then swung it a few times. “I will follow you anywhere. But I want to know why we aren’t telling the Alliance.”

Theodore paused. He tilted his head, and stared off to the side. A frown rose up on his face before he looked back.

“If the Alliance ever knew this gun was created, the Young Wolf’s name could be ruined forever. Yeah. This gun is that bad.”

Night had settled over the Last City long ago. Mostly everyone was in bed, except the insomniacs and workaholics. Meanwhile, crime and illegal activities used the shadows as a cover, slipping over the sleeping eyes of the law.

Artix had no idea where the kinderguardians were taking him. He just found himself having to follow them navigating throughout the city. He was struggling while the three were easily scaling up walls and leaping to higher platforms. He probably had to chalk it up to his more heavyweight armor.

The trip was waiting for him as he struggled to pull himself up the last ledge. Legs kicking, he puffed up his entire face in concentration, squirming up bit by bit. Finally, he felt Theodore reach out and drag him the rest of the way up.

“Is he alright?” Artix looked up at the familiar voice to see Allura sitting on a crate, watching the four.

Immediately, the paladin’s eyes went to her hair. Instead of it being long and cascading, or even in a bun, it was cut to stop just at her chin. It was now allowed to break out into a wavy mess, without any ponytail to stop the curls from bouncing up and around.

“You cut your hair.” Artix stood up slowly.

Allura placed a lock in between her fingers. “It was Mithrax’s suggestion. I find it much easier to manage.”

Artix looked around. “Speaking of, where are your bug friends?”

Before Allura could even open her mouth, Variks’ guttural voice replied, “We are not bugs, yes?”

Artix bellowed a high-pitched shriek at the sudden new addition, and whipped on his heels to look at the side. Variks and Mithrax were both there, staring at the four. They couldn’t really emote with the helmets they wore, but Artix could feel the irritation rising from at least one of their gazes.

Allura, however, merely smiled. “You two arrived faster than you said you would.”

“Slipping out was easier than we thought,” Mithrax replied in perfect English. “We had expected to have a harder time.”

“Well, it’s good you didn’t.” Allura stood up, and pressed her bayard in the form of a glaive to the ground. “We will be entering what remains of the wreckage as immediately as possible, correct?”

“Indeed. But there is a problem, one we expected.” Variks looked towards the direction of the ruins. “Others know of the SIVA weapon.”

“That’s what the data is called?” Artix asked. “SIVA?”

“It was made back in Golden Age times,” Eagle stated. “It’s been unearthed a few times. However, that gun is the last remaining piece of SIVA.”

“What do you mean others know?” Jadir questioned.

Mithrax answered, “Do not worry. No other Guardians know. Instead, it is the House of Devils.”

Artix sighed, placing his hands on his hips. “Let me guess, a Fallen house you know?”

Allura frowned. “One I thought was on the verge of destruction. You yourself said that, Mithrax.”

Variks looked away again. “It seems they have united under a new Fallen, yes? They now are hunting down the gun as we are, choosing this night to slip in and steal it.”

“Slip in?” Theodore looked around. “We’re in the center of the City! How can they merely slip in undetected?”

“You will be surprised,” Mithrax merely answered.

Allura quickly hit the ground with her glaive to get everyone’s attention. “Well, this talk has been nice, but if the House of Devils are here, that means we must make haste in retrieving the SIVA gun.”

“Allura is right.” Mithrax quickly moved forward. “And we must move fast, unless we desire unwanted attention.”

Immediately, the group went up towards the entrance. Artix hummed thoughtfully, looking around at the darkened area.

“How deep is this gun?” Artix found himself asking.

“Very deep,” Allura answered. “It’s locked in one of the most secure vaults the Tower offered during its time. However, from what we have learned already, its self-duplicating properties have caused the vault to actually enter an emergency lockdown sequence.” She paused, then pointed. “Down the road here.”

Theodore took point. “How many of the House of Devils are here?”

“I don’t know. Can either of you explain?”

As the group went down the small road, Variks said, “Many of them. They will not risk losing the gun to the Guardians.”

“We risk a lot currently,” Allura said. “Most of the Tower has been cleaned, yes. But the deeper parts remain untouched. But who's to say nobody is there? And if a fight breaks out, someone can hear.”

“You’re really highlighting the negatives, princess,” Eagle pointed out.

Allura placed on her helmet. “Let’s go. We’ll have to cut through the plaza.”

“That’s definitely a risk if I ever heard one,” Theodore pointed out. “Anyone could be out and about during these hours.”

“We have to.”

The plaza was eerily silent, a sharp contrast to the Guardian-filled mornings. It chilled Artix with the fact that even now, the Tower was probably filled with people. Any one of them could see the group passing through and at least question what they were up to so late at night. The fact that they had their weapons would only make the situation worse.

“Come on.” Allura quickly shot up the stairs, light on her toes. Everybody quickly went after her, unwilling to be left behind.

Inside the Tower, the lights were still on, and Artix’s heart almost dropped. However, a quick sweep confirmed nobody was in sight. The lights were probably kept on constantly for Guardians coming in late at night.

“Which way to the vaults?” Theodore questioned.

“Just follow my lead.” Allura was going ahead. “We’ll be using silenced guns, which means no semi-automatic fire. We’ll be going in with pistols, rifles, and whatever melee weapon you can find.”

“Sounds easy enough.” Eagle grinned. “Which way?”

“To outside,” Allura replied. “The area was already scouted out, and we’ve concluded that the initial way to the vault has collapsed. We’ve already mapped out an alternate route.” She looked over her shoulder. “You’ll need propulsion.”

A few minutes later after scrambling through vents, Artix understood exactly why.

The group stood against howling wind, standing in a narrow passageway. Mithrax and Variks had stayed behind due to not only their large bodies prohibiting them from vent crawling, but to be able to warn anyone of any approaching suspicion. The Tower’s wall sloped down to vanish into the mist below. Stray bits of shipment packages hung on cables, and firm wires stuck out.

“You’re insane,” Artix whimpered.

“It is the only way,” Allura argued. “All other routes have yet to be cleaned. If we wait for them to, the gun can be discovered before we can reach it.”

Eagle dropped down onto the closest platform against the Tower. “Sounds easy enough!”

“We’ve come too far.” Jadir shrugged before giving chase immediately. “Hey, Eagle! Wait up!”

Allura looked at Artix with obvious sympathy. “Do they act like that always?”

“You get used to it after almost a year of it.” Artix dropped down after them, giving chase.

The Guardians did not have a care in the world. They were hopping from platform to platform, whooping and hollering. Jadir even fell off near the end, and made sure that his scream was priceless.

Meanwhile, Artix and Allura were paranoid with every step. One slip, and they could be sent spiralling to their deaths. Artix found himself hugging the wall with surprising grip while Allura planted her feet firmly with every leap of faith.

“This is a horrible idea!” Artix whisper-yelled at Allura.

“Perhaps. But do you want the Alliance to recover the gun before we do?’

“Yes!” Artix replied. “I don’t want to die! The gun can’t possibly ruin the Young Wolf’s title this much!”

“You’ll be surprised.” Allura leapt onto the next platform, leaving him standing there.

Artix grumbled something under his breath. However, he didn’t fall back. Instead, he followed close, still being a bit pouty as he scrambled to the next safe spot on the wall.

While the five were scooching along slowly, they were being watched. High above, a pair of binoculars zoomed in, watching as they began to enter the vents back inside, one by one.

“What are they doin’...?” Cayde murmured to himself, watching them file back to safety.

Back inside the Tower, it was pitch black. Immediately, flashlights clicked on to survey the metallic area. It was dark, musty, and especially abandoned.

“This is so creepy,” Eagle mentioned.

“We have to keep going.” Allura began climbing up, the only way to really progress. “We’ve come too far now.”

“...Does anyone else hear fans?” Artix looked behind him as the Guardians followed.

“Yea, I hear it too.” Theodore glanced upwards at Allura. “Sounds like it’s close, too. Think we might run into whatever it is?”

“Undoubtedly.” Still, Allura didn’t even hesitate in continuing on.

Artix followed in the back. He watched his students re-enter the vents, then went last slowly.

His students. He couldn’t describe them like that anymore. They’ve grown beyond him. They couldn’t be called kinderguardians anymore. They’ve done so much in the past few months. Soon, they wouldn’t be his students at all.

For some reason, that hurt him. Them graduating from his teachings. He liked having them around, and had grown accustomed to their company. But he could tell they were ready to move on. They’ve stopped worshipping him like an idol, and now treat him like a close friend. Soon, they’ll be going out on their own, the titles of students becoming nothing more than memories.

He didn’t want them to go. A long while ago, he wouldn’t dream of being a teacher to this trio. Now, he wished nothing more than to keep that role.

“Wait, stop!”

Artix was forced to stop abruptly when Allura placed his hands on his chest. Surprisingly, she easily kept him in place, despite how heavy he was, especially in full armor.

Now that he wasn’t lost in thought, he could hear the fans much more clearly now. They were roaring in his ears. In front of him, the Guardians were peeking over the edge of the vent at something.

Artix finally understood what was happening. “Oh, no.”

“Oh, yes.” Allura nodded.

A long row of fans went downwards in a spiral. They all were chugging along with no care in the world. Judging by how fast they were going, jumping down would be certain death.

“What now?” Theodore groaned.

Artix took out his axe. “Theo, if you and I drop down-” he began.

Allura quickly stopped them. “No! We could alert the entire Tower if we break these.”

“What? So then what?”

“We have to find a way around them, then.” Jadir leaned closer to look.

“What about those?” Theodore pointed to thin gaps spaced between the vents, illuminated by red lights.

Allura frowned. “You four could risk it, with your...respawn system. I can’t. I can’t revive like you do.”

“Then what else is there?” Eagle asked.

Artix licked his lips, thinking. The fans were going too fast, and not in a specific line. Jumping was too risky. The only way down were the tiny gaps. But jumping to and fro when required...Allura may not pull through alive.

There was one way he could think of, but...No. He could never show that to his students. What would they think, with their undying loyalty to the light?

But is there any other way?

“Students?” Artix asked, and all three looked. “What would you think if I was one with the darkness, but I was still on the side of the Alliance?”

“...What are you saying?” Theodore asked.

“It’s hypothetical.”

Eagle scoffed. “Duh! You’ll still be our teacher!” Artix looked. “You just said that you’ll still be on our side. So you’ll still be a good side, darkness or not.”

“Even when I’m teaching Guardians of light?”

Eagle nodded. “Even then.”

Artix stared with an unreadable expression before smiling. “Then we’ll see you at the bottom.”

He suddenly made Allura yelp by grabbing her waist. She instinctively clutched onto him, eyes wide under her helmet. Before any Guardian could speak, both figures disintegrated into a black smoke, which shot down the tunnel, passing through all of the fans.

“...Did he just...?” Theodore asked.

“That was shadow magic,” Jadir realized.

“Artix wields shadow magic?” Eagle questioned. “But how? Isn’t he a...a paladin of the light?”

“We won’t get answers by sitting here. Come on!” Theodore leapt out of the vent, immediately shooting himself towards the thin gap between the fans and the wall.

The three guardians managed to get down to the last level, the fans way behind them. Immediately, they looked around for their teacher, and spotted him standing by Allura.

“Teacher!” Jadir ran up. “That was...!”

Artix looked away. “Shadow magic. I know.”

“...How?”

“I’m...not a real paladin,” Artix admitted. “I was never able to wield light magic. I instead use the power of the souls I’ve freed in place of light magic. Instead, I...I am the Champion of Darkness.”

Eagle looked. “The Champion of...Darkness?”

“It’s what Lore calls the guardian of the power of shadow magic. They are the most powerful wielder of it in Lore. It’s something that...I never asked for.” Artix stared at his hands. “I never use this power, because...I want to be a paladin. And I can’t be a paladin if I use this.” He closed his hands, then let his arms drop to his side. “I’m sorry I kept this from you, students.”

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked at Theodore taking off his helmet. “Teacher, I completely understand why you hid this. I would, too. I want to stay a Guardian. And you can’t be a Guardian with darkness.”

Eagle nodded. “Yea! And don’t worry! I think it’s really cool that you can wield darkness like that!”

Artix’s eyes went wide. “Really?”

“Yea! You just turned into shadow! Like, that’s wicked awesome!”

Jadir smiled underneath his helmet. “Do you think you might be able to teach us that?”

Artix suddenly laughed. “I doubt it! But...” His smile softened. “I’m happy you accept me.”

“Of course we would! What kind of students would we be?” Eagle grabbed Artix by the wrist. “Now let’s get that gun!”

Artix grinned. “First one there will be the favorite for the day!”

As if they were kinderguardians again, they all bolted off, though it was more of a playful manner. While none of them truly sought out such a childish title, it was nostalgic to play along.

Artix sighed, watching them go. “Students, am I right?”

“They won’t be students any longer,” Allura chided.

He lost his smile. “Right. Man, has it really been three-quarters of a year?”

“Long enough for a full academic year,” Allura agreed. “They should graduate soon.”

“Allura, is it wrong to wish that they don’t? Because when they do, they’ll leave to go somewhere else, and...I might not see them for a long time.”

Allura nodded. “I understand missing someone. But you can’t hold on to them forever. Eventually, they must be let go to be their own person. You might even take on a new set of students.”

“What, me? Oh ho ho, no. Three’s too much of a crowd.” Artix chuckled nervously. “No more students for me! I want to keep my hair brown instead of gray, thank you very much!”

“Let’s just catch up to then, before they go too far ahead.” Allura smiled before following the Guardians. Artix laughed a bit before following, beginning to creep through the vents.

Taking on more students? Perhaps after the Guardians have moved on. But would that make him an actual teacher by standards? Would he have to apply for a teaching position? Should he even be wondering this right now?

He let himself drop out into a narrow hallway. Hands on his hips, he looked around. The area buzzed with what remained of the ruined technology.

He noticed very quickly nobody was in sight, which was a little odd. He expected then to at least wait around until he arrived. Either they were very rude, or something had scared them o-

...What was that noise?

Artix looked over his shoulder, an eyebrow raised. There was a buzzing noise that was getting closer by the sec-

Oh, that’s why nobody stuck around.

Some sort of machine was barreling right at him. Large blades stuck out of it, moving exactly how either a spider or a predator’s jaws would. A horrific noise was blaring from its speakers, setting a horrible feeling in Artix’s chest. And the worst part was, it took up the entire hallway, and moved at him with incredible speed. It would be on him in seconds. Not even his armor could save him from it’s apparent ferocity.

Artix did the only thing he could do, and ran for his very life.

He hit the ground hard running, arms swinging by his side. Cape flying behind him, he could almost feel whatever it was breathing down his neck. The roar was only getting louder, the sound ringing in his ears at this point.

“Teacher!”

Before he could move another step, he felt his arm grabbed. He was yanked to the side and into an alcove he almost missed. He was immediately flipped upside down by the sudden tug, now crammed into the small space right next to Eagle.

There was a click, and Artix looked to see his cape unfastened quickly. Before he could complain, the machine shot by, missing the space entirely. The cape, which had still been sticking out, shot out of sight, pulled along by the machine.

Artix flipped himself back onto his knees, scraping his head a bit in the process. “What...?” He began.

“Are you alright?” Eagle looked him over.

“Fine, but...What was that? And where’s everyone else?”

“Once we landed, it came running straight for us. We all scattered, and I think it chased the others. They can’t reach these little spaces, so I’ve been camping out here.”

“Do you know what it was?” Artix peeked out to look down the hall.

“I recognize the model.” Eagle peeked out as well. “It’s an old cleaning robot used in the Tower. TR3-VR.”

“...” Artix looked at her. “Trevor?!”

“That’s the one. I guess it somehow went crazy when we abandoned the Tower during the Red War. So now it’s a death roomba that hunts you on sight.”

“Really? I would have compared it to a train.” Artix shook his head. “Let’s not discuss this. Where’s the exit?”

“That’s the problem. This place is practically a maze. I haven’t been able to find the exit, yet.”

Artix stood up. “Agh...Okay, then. I need to make sure everyone else is okay. I mean, we would be fine, but Allura only has one life.”

“I’ll look for the other two. You find Allura, then.” Eagle sprinted off into the direction TR3-VR and Artix came from. The paladin only gulped and followed the death machine’s path.

It was not hard at all to find the princess. He only had to follow Jadir’s screaming, TR3-VR’s buzzing, and Allura yelling out directions. Artix immediately paused the moment he heard all three of those noises coming closer.

As soon as both turned the corner, Artix snatched Allura before she could run him over. Calling upon the darkness of the maze, their forms disintegrated into shadow. Jadir took the hint and dove into the nearest alcove, TR3-VR hauling its way over to the area.

The black smoke of both Artix and Allura remained unaffected when TR3-VR ran right through them. It broke apart, but quickly jumped back together. TR3-VR turned its way down the hallway and vanished.

Allura gave a sudden inhale once they reformed into their bodies. “Give me a warning,” she panted.

“Death machines do not give you time to think,” Artix answered. “Only act.”

Jadir shot out of the alcove, as if a mini TR3-VR was inside it. By the time Artix even saw him, he had his arms around the paladin’s neck in a tight hug. Artix looked surprised at how tightly he was being gripped.

“You’re okay,” Jadir murmured, voice shaking.

“Of course I am!” Artix grinned.

Jadir lifted his head suddenly. “No, you don’t understand! I saw your cape stuck on it, and I...I freaked out, okay?!” He pressed his head to Artix’s chest again. “I thought you were...”

Immediately, Artix’s smile disappeared. He looked concerned at Jadir, who was now shaking. Allura could only stare with a sad expression at the scene.

Slowly, Artix reached up, and began to pat Jadir’s head. “I...didn’t mean to scare you.”

“I know you didn’t, but...Please never do that again. Don’t ever scare me like that again, because I don’t think any of us would know what to do without our teacher!”

Artix nodded, his smile back. “I got it, Jadir. I won’t do that again. And plus, dying for us is as cheap as it is for Guardians!”

Jadir sniffled under his helmet. “R...Right. I keep forgetting that. But still, I-”

Allura looked at a faint noise. “It’s coming back,” she warned.

Artix looked, then nodded. “Yea. I hear it.” He then paused, then frowned. “I hear my other students, too.”

On cue, Theodore and Eagle turned the corner. Eagle made a perfect glide and dash while Theodore slammed against the wall. Stumbling a bit, he tripped and smashed his face into the ground.

Artix gasped. “THEO!”

Theodore lifted his head and looked just in time to see TR3-VR turn the corner. It was now just a mere feet from him. There was no possible way he could even get up in time to run.

Artix immediately took a running start. Not caring for his own safety in the moment, he leapt over Theodore, his axe raised. Darkness curling off his body, he screamed before slamming the axe into TR3-VR.

Jadir half expected the axe to just bang off harmlessly. Their guns shot endless amounts of bullets, and none of them even began to phase the machine. What would an axe do?

He got his answer when instead of sinking it, it knocked TR3-VR back. Way back. The wall behind it caved in, the hit tearing it off of its tracks. It was now folding it on itself, a dent exactly where it had been struck. The machine continued to blare, but its noise was beginning to glitch and ebb. Darkness was blooming up from it, burning and melting its metal casing.

Theodore’s jaw was dropped. He looked up at Artix standing there, panting while gripping his axe. His arm was twitching a bit, evidence that he hurt it somehow in that strike.

“You...Got it?” Theodore questioned.

Artix turned to look. “Are you alright?”

Theodore nodded, too stunned to answer correctly. “Y...Yea?”

“Let’s go.” Artix gripped his arm, beginning to walk off.

Allura immediately stopped him. “Do you want me to heal your arm?”

“...Yea.” Artix stuck his hand out. “It hurts.”

Allura placed her hands on his arm. From her palms, white light began to pulse. Artix’s face of unease relaxed, and he flexed his fingers to check if he was healing properly.

“That was amazing!” Jadir suddenly declared. “How did you do it?”

Artix looked over, frowning a bit. “I...don’t know. It was just a feeling that came over me. I couldn’t let it harm Theo.”

“That was very risky,” Allura pointed out. “Both of you could have been hurt more than a sore arm.”

“I didn’t care. I just wanted to protect him.”

The five soon left the maze behind, and the remains of TR3-VR. The darkness used in the fight was swiftly dispelled by the Traveler watching over the City. Guided only by the lights on their guns, the five ran forward.

Before long, they stood in an area of gold. The hallways were much wider than the maze, something Artix appreciated greatly. And it was still at least a bit more softly lit, adding a tiny bit of more homely flair.

“Is this it?” Eagle asked. “The Cryptarch Vault?”

“You’re asking us?” Artix responded.

Jadir pointed around his gun. “How deeper do we have to go?”

“It can’t be that far now, right?” Artix looked over at Allura.

Allura wasn’t answering. She had paused, and was staring with wide eyes forward.

“Cayde?” Allura questioned.

Cayde was cracking open one of the sealed cases. His gun was in one hand, and he was stepping over Fallen corpses. Judging by their armor, they were House of Devils.

Cayde looked over his shoulder, and blinked. “Oh, hey! We were wonderin’ when you guys will arrive!”

“...We?” Artix questioned.

At once, multiple guns clicked. The five immediately raised their hands in surrender as multiple Hunters came out of hiding, hand cannons pointed at the group.

“How did you know?” Allura questioned.

Cayde laughed. “You really think you can keep illicit activities from me? I organize the illicit activities in this Alliance!”

Mithrax walked up, followed by Variks. “You are talking like a cliché villain, Cayde.”

He shrugged in return. “Maybe.”

“Hello, friends,” Variks growled. “We got caught, just as you. You are all okay, yes?”

“All of our heads are still on our shoulders,” Artix replied, shrugging his shoulders while still keeping his arms in the air.

Eagle sighed. “Listen, we-”

“I know.” Cayde raised a hand. “I know. You want to protect the Young Wolf’s name. I understand. That guy was my favorite.”

Allura tilted her head. “You’re...helping us?”

“Yea. I’m gettin’ rid of the gun.” Cayde inspected it in his hand.

Eagle groaned before lowering her arms. “You could have told us that before getting your Hunters to told us at gunpoint!”

As he signalled the Hunters to lower their guns, Cayde shrugged. “They raised their guns. I didn’t give the order.” He looked around. “See, let me offer you this: we never speak of this again. And by the time the Alliance figures out somebody broke into the Cryptarch Vault, this gun will be long gone.”

“And you swear that?” Jadir asked.

“Trust me. By the end of the week, SIVA will be gone.” Cayde tossed the gun from one hand to another.

Allura looked around. “And you’re helping us why? This must extend beyond the Young Wolf.”

Cayde paused. “Well...You’re right about that.” He looked over. “The Young Wolf wasn’t the only one who created the gun.” He ran it over with a hand before sighing. “My protege Shiro-4 made the gun for them.”

Artix immediately seemed to connect with that. “Protege?”

“Yea. My student. Taught him a lot of things. So this gun getting out won’t ruin just the Young Wolf’s name. It’ll hurt my student, too.”

Artix nodded. “Then I understand your motives completely. I too would do some insane things for the safety of my students.”

“Yea, like risk your life to punch out a death roomba to save my skin,” Theodore proclaimed.

“You did that?” Cayde exclaimed. “No wonder your students turned out awesome! You should be a full-time teacher.”

Artix flushed at that. “I’ll...think about it.”


	5. Burning Books

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters in chapter:
> 
> -Rowan  
-Gabriel  
-Queen Isyn  
-Aaoka  
-Lady Minoa  
-Carla  
-Andal Brask  
-Cayde-6  
-Yumal (mentioned)  
-Keith (mentioned)  
-The Drifter (mentioned)  
-Fox (mentioned)  
-Shadow Queen (mentioned)  
-Seraphina (mentioned)  
-Mirage (mentioned)  
-The Black Rose (mentioned)
> 
> Chapter summary:
> 
> Questions are answered, but more seem to be uncovered in return.

“This is the worst idea we’ve probably ever had in our lives! We’re gonna get caught, I tell you! Then we’ll be put on trial, and executed on the crimes of breaking into the castle and voluntary manslaughter!”

“Manslau-? We haven’t even killed anyone!”

“Yet! We haven’t killed anyone yet! But what would happen if an early riser Luxonia guard decides to take a detour into the library on his patrol, and finds the Light Incarnate and an artist searching the shelves for any written logs of the legendary Luxonia Orli?!”

“We’re also looking for any transcripts of the Traveler. I am interested whether or not it and its Darkness is from the Lux Mondo and Umbra Mondo.”

“That’s even worse! We’re looking for TWO heavily controversial subjects!”

Rowan turned and nailed Gabriel in the back of the head with the book he had been holding. “Just shut up and help me look!” He whispered in a pissed tone.

It was impossible to tell whether it was day or night in the Lux Mondo to Rowan. Gabriel, however, noticed the tiniest bit of darkening in the sky and declared it was late at night. Rowan then understood immediately why he got freaked out upon seeing the night sky in the Last City the first couple of days he stayed.

Now, they stood in the Lux Mondo. In the middle of the night, they had single handedly broken into the castle of Light’s Soul, broken in further to the library, and were now rummaging around for the lost pieces to Rowan’s backstory. Them merely being spotted could lead to death by the hands of the queen of the Lux Mondo. Even worse, if anyone figured out this happened, Carla would get to Rowan first. He desperately wished it was the former.

Rowan pulled out another book and looked at it. Luxin. He sighed and lowered it. Could they have at least have Latin roots?

Gabriel looked over. “You alright over there?”

“I can’t understand any of this. I’ve barely picked up any Luxin, even after all this time.” Rowan dropped his arm to his side. “I wish at least some of these books were English.”

“English is a rare language here. You wouldn’t write important books in such a foreign language.” Gabriel laughed a bit. “German is more popular here.”

Rowan looked happier at that. “I understand all human languages. It’s one of my capabilities as a Reploid.”

“Cool! Then let’s look for printed copies in German. There’s bound to be at least some.” Gabriel then pouted. “And remind me to double down on your Luxin lessons, Light Incarnate! Or you could-!”

“No! No kissing!” Rowan chuckled nervously. “I’m not sure that would even work, to be honest. I’m pretty sure there’s some magic behind it, and I don’t know anything about that.”

“You know how to heal with magic kisses!”

“The way you phrase it makes it sound like too much of a fairy tale.” Rowan quickly returned to the bookshelves, attempting to hide his face heating up.

German actually was more common than Rowan thought. The more he looked, the more book titles he could perfectly read. He recognized all of the punctuations and annotations common to the language, and every word was perfectly understandable to him.

Rowan investigated a book, but didn’t pay much attention to it. “Is German really so common around here?”

“Sure enough! I guess we just adopted it from watching the Germans in the timelines so much!”

Rowan suddenly shivered. “Uh...What exactly did you watch?”

“...Let’s just keep looking.” Gabriel suddenly looked equally nervous.

Rowan immediately began to haphazardly shove the book back in its spot, but stopped when he heard a crackling noise. He probably just slammed it on another book, folding its papers. Cursing to himself, he reached in to grab the book and hopefully straighten them out.

It was less of a book, and more of a bunch of leaflets. They were all tied together by golden cords looping through punched holes. The cords even had clasps, which can unlock to allow pages to be removed or added. The first page was a title, printed in something that wasn’t Luxin or German.

Rowan scanned the word, and came up with a result. “Hey, Gabriel?”

Gabriel looked. “Yea?”

“How common is Italian in the Lux Mondo?”

“Very rare. Only nobility can even allowed to learn basic words. Why?”

“Then this is classified.” Rowan raised the pamphlet. “Why else would it be written entirely in Italian?”

Gabriel immediately turned around, eyes going wide. “Then put it back!”

“Not before I figure out what it’s about.” Rowan raised a hand to stop Gabriel in his place. “Then we can decide what to do with it.”

“You’re insane, Light Incarnate,” Gabriel whimpered as Rowan flipped to the first page covered in writing.

_ “This following pamphlet will be chronicling the Light Incarnate. After his return, Lady Isyn has ordered me to keep an extremely close eye on him, and the strange timeline he hails from. This pamphlet will be referring to this timeline as Timeline Prime. I will also be studying other timelines, and comparing them to how this timeline will develop.” _

Rowan recognized the honorifics of Isyn. “I think some guard of Queen Isyn wrote this,” he stated.

“If it’s any guard, it will have to be Aaoka,” Gabriel stated. “She’s the closest thing to nobility outside of actual nobility. Isyn would trust her with anything. They grew up together centuries ago!”

Rowan looked at the pamphlet again. “So, this was written by Aaoka?”

“Nevermind that. Put it back, and let’s get out of here before we’re caught!”

Rowan merely instead began flipping through, skimming through the pages. “Just a second.”

“What are you doing? We need to go!”

“I’m scanning the pages. If I log them, I’ll be able to call upon them in a perfect memory. Then I can actually read what they say later.”

“Okay, whatever! Just please hurry up! We can’t be seen here!”

“Be patient, Gabriel.”

“We will DIE if we’re found here!”

Rowan still calmly read. “I don’t think they’ll risk the universe like that.”

For a few more minutes, Gabriel’s eyes darted around the room, and his breathing grew a bit quicker. Rowan, however, even began to slant in his posture, looking absolutely bored despite the danger of this operation. He merely read the pamphlet like it was any other book.

Finally, he turned on his heel and placed it back where it belonged. “Done,” he merely stated.

Not waiting any longer, Gabriel grabbed Rowan by the wrist and dragged him off. “Good! Let’s go!”

Both of them immediately leapt out of the window they came into the library. Channeling their light magic, they shot off through the air on wings of plated feathers. Before long, they were out of the city, cruising through the air of the Lux Mondo.

As Rowan observed the grass down below, Gabriel asked, “What exactly did you find out?”

“Everything I wanted to know, and more. I have a lot of questions, and I really can only answer them once I sit down and read the texts more closely!”

Before they were out of sight, however, Isyn watched them. Her hands placed on the open windowsill, she stared after the two as they vanished to return to their timeline.

Aaoka walked up behind her, hands behind her back like always. “Lady Isyn?”

“It is nothing. How goes your research?”

“Timeline Prime is proving to be a very interesting case. I feel as if I have barely scratched the surface of what it is becoming.” Aaoka looked away. “There is also the research being placed into what Fox is planning.”

“Just Fox? Not the Shadow Queen?”

“I feel he has other plans for her, Lady Isyn.”

There was a wave of warmth, and the spirit of Lady Minoa appeared next to her niece. “No doubt he was looking for records or Orli, or maybe even Yumal.”

Lady Isyn gripped the banister tighter at that. “Yumal...I miss him. He never meant anything that happened, but...he should have known what darkness would have done to him and his state of mind.”

“He just thought to do what was right. I’m sure he regrets it horribly, such as I do.”

Upon returning to the Tower, Rowan was immediately greeted by Andal and Carla. Carla was quite mad that she had to wake up, her personal heater having gone missing in the middle of the night. She had found Andal at the balcony, staring at the stars and wondering if it’ll be worth it to risk his limited freedom for one single night on the town. He decided to come along to search as well, taking his mind off of it.

Rowan merely apologized, but only got lightly hit on the head. Regardless, he was allowed to return to bed with Carla none the wiser that he had literally just returned from breaking into the Lux Mondo.

Now in bed, Rowan curled up closer to Carla, involuntarily frowning. What he had just learned really was bugging him more than he would like to admit.

“Stop moving,” Carla grumbled, pulling him closer.

“Sorry. I’m just thinking.”

Carla cracked an eye open so its soft blue glow was cast on Rowan’s face. “About what?”

“...We, uh...came into contact with the Lux Mondo. I learned a lot of things. And I’m trying to make sense of it all.”

Carla shifted so she only had her hands on his abs instead of pressing his head close to her ample chest. “Like what?”

“It’s really confusing. There’s a lot of terms I don’t understand.”

Carla rolled over so she looked up at the ceiling. “Maybe we can decipher it together?”

“I hope. I feel like this stuff that Isyn’s guard found out is really important.” Rowan raised a hand. “Do you know Italian?”

“No.”

“Then I’ll try and translate it to English. This might be a few minutes.” Rowan closed his eyes, and Carla’s ears immediately picked up the sounds of his internal mechanisms clicking.

Seeing as it would take a bit, Carla got off the bed and stood up slowly, so she wouldn’t disturb him. She opened the door to their small bedroom, slipping out.

Lucy was out late, having to slog through her job as Hunter Vanguard. Cayde, meanwhile, was having the time of his life. He kept going out just to hunt enemies for the thrill of it. It was kind of funny to Carla to see her father lighting up the battlefield, whooping and hollering with glee.

Speaking of, as soon as Carla rounded the corner, there he was. Talking in a low murmur into a com. She couldn’t pick up what he was saying, but he seemed happy.

“Is that Mom?” Carla asked.

Immediately, Cayde jumped, and nearly dropped the com. He quickly caught it with both hands, and looked. “Diamond two! Why don’t ya go ahead and kill me if you’re tryin’ to make my heart stop?”

“Sorry, Dad.” Carla moved over to the sink, picking up a cup.

Cayde looked over. “What are you doin’ up so late? Your little past self is passed out, and probably your uncle and boyfriend, too.”

“Actually, no. Rowan is wide awake.” Carla began to fill up the glass with water. “In fact, it was him that woke me up.”

As she began to drink, Cayde chuckled. “Midnight nightmare?”

Carla exhaled from downing the whole glass. “No. Apparently, Queen Isyn had...found something. I don’t know. It worries him, and he wants me to help him figure out what’s up with it.”

Cayde whistled. “You sure you don’t want your old pops to help you on that?”

“Hey, only if Rowan is okay with it.” Carla shrugged a shoulder. “I won’t give you a definite answer without his permission.”

“Okay, then. Ask him. I’ll be waitin’.” Cayde sat back down.

So a few minutes later, Rowan and Carla have joined Cayde at the table. Andal was at the doorway, wondering what the ruckus was all about. All four were in sleep attire, Andal looking especially exhausted. Why else would he be making a black coffee so late at night?

Rowan was sitting completely still. His eyes were acting like projectors, displaying a hologram of what looked like a written report. It was listed as the second part in a span of multiple pages. Already, Carla was writing it down as Cayde looked at it with obvious intent. Every once and awhile, he would swipe his finger on the hologram to go to the next “slide”.

_ “The concept of Timeline Prime is incredible. It is actually one of a kind. No other timeline like it exists in the entire universe. That means that so many events in the past year or so are exclusive to only it. I find myself getting more interested by it every day. I must begin my studies of compare and contrast.” _

_ Part 3 _

_ “I’ve already found such a lucky strike in Timeline Prime. It is one of the few timelines where Lucy-1 exists. Most timelines do not have a Lucy-1. Lucy-1 was created when the Umbra Mondo went on a mass spree, destroying every timeline that had a specimen named Liberty in it. Most of them did not survive. Only one did, and they went on to become Lucy-1. From there, their timeline has duplicated to create more timelines with Lucy-1s. _

_ “The Vanguard is very lucky to have a Lucy-1, AKA the successor to the Hunter Vanguard. In most timelines, their theocratic government is flawed and broken. Multiple holes are in it, due to no rules being put in place for successors to not only Vanguard members, but the leader of the Last City. _

_ “The power hierarchy is as follows: The Vanguard, then the Speaker, the one who claims to communicate for their little light called the Traveler. More on the Traveler later. The Speaker has perished, and has never been replaced yet. This government was flawed, stupid, and it shows in other timelines, where the theocratic government has been facing a steep downfall. The Alliance Council is actually a saving grace to the government of the Tower.” _

_ Part 4 _

_ “This segment will be dedicated to the Traveler and its Darkness in Timeline Prime. Indeed, they are broken off from the Lux Mondo and Umbra Mondo. There is no definite case as to how they exist. Perhaps were they created by Orli and Ciar themselves? _

_ “My personal theory is a Luxonia and an Umbrati seemed to try to influence a timeline with their magic at the same time. The clash hardened the Luxonia’s magic, and strengthened the Umbrati’s. This clash may have possibly created the Traveler and the Darkness. However, it is always up to the readers to interpret what truly happened.” _

Andal sighed. “Not even they know what happened?”

“That means that we ain’t ever gettin’ an answer to that question,” Cayde stated, flicking his finger to go to the next part.

_ Part 5 _

_ “I’ve been researching the mass amounts of stolen data from the Umbra Mondo. The resistance based in the plane of darkness, Insurrection’s Abyss, was kind enough to share it with anyone who was willing to listen to the secrets. I will begin by focusing on the power structure of the Umbra Mondo. _

_ “Let us start with the Queen herself. Not even her name is in the records that we found. It is of ultimate secrecy, even more so than her advisor's battle plans. She is obviously not Umbrati, as she functions exactly like a human. But that is all we can discover about her now. _

_ “Her advisor Fox has much more information. The layout of the hierarchy seems to suggest that the Queen is just a figurehead. Fox is the true thinker and ruler of the plane of darkness, even though the Queen is Shadow Incarnate. But still, he seems to treasure the Queen deeply, much more so than anybody else. I will have to research more into that. _

_ “Next up is Mirage. The records state his real identity to be Exalt Chrom of the kingdom of Ylisse. Timeline Prime’s Ylisse was destroyed with no accounted survivors except for the exalt, his daughter Lucina, and his wife Seraphina. It is entirely possible that they hail from Timeline Prime. Mirage has recorded to be consumed, and is facing deterioration, with limbs being cut off to slow deterioration. Fox gives him only a few more years to live, covering it up as a biological disease he was born with that accelerates in adulthood. Mirage is a man built of amnesia and lies. _

_ “Another prized soldier is labelled the Black Rose. Simply that. Her real name is classified, just as the Shadow Queen’s. She apparently is of Hoshidan descent, and she joined around the time of the Otherworlder War. She also uses a bow and a katana in a fight, but that is all I can figure out about her. She seems less significant than the others, so I won’t complain about the lack of information. _

_ “Finally, we have Seraphina. The log dictates her as an experiment. This experiment used the data of something called Belial, taken from the ruined Jakob Elevator the same time a specimen called Seraph was taken for reconstruction, over five years ago. The data of Belial was implanted into her head after she was captured by attacking Fox, having avoided capture before that point. She was then placed into confinement for a year, losing her memory once more, and becoming manipulatable to Fox. She is currently the head researcher of the Umbra Mondo, and carries out numerous unsavory experiments daily. But the leader of Insurrection’s Abyss, Kurami...she still calls her a friend. Why is that?” _

_ Part 6 _

_ “The data indicates there is a usage of half-blood Umbrati in the war. This is immoral, wrong, and absolute hell to the souls forced to become Umbrati in the natural balance of the universe. The Luxonia at least end the suffering of half-blood Luxonia. The Umbrati refuse to let their agony end, and force them into a war they know nothing about. My heart goes out to these poor half-bloods.” _

_ Part 7 _

_ “I’ve noticed a lack of any other kind of enemy in Timeline Prime. This is especially visible when you compare it to any other timeline, where there is a much more varied cast of enemies. _

_ “I believe the Umbra Mondo has targeted and destroyed any opposition. They are ultimate darkness, after all. They could pick them off, one by one. Concluding my studies of this, I have compiled a list of eradicated enemies: _

_ -Hive (Possibly. Their gods Xivu Arath and Savathûn are no longer active, but at the same time, a temporal loop in the civilization called the Dreaming City still is active. I will have to figure out if it can still exist without its creator Savathûn.) _

_ -Shadowkeep (In other timelines, there was a strange, shadowy presence on the moon that haunted every Guardian’s dreams. This does not exist in Timeline Prime.) _

_ -Vex (Possibly. Their activity has ceased in Timeline Prime. However, this could be less out of being removed, and more of studying the timeline and its immunity to both darkness and light, gifted by the significant other of Light Incarnate, Carla the chrono angel.) _

_ -The Nine (Most likely. There has been mounting evidence of the Nine having been destroyed by the Umbra Mondo. The resistance leader in the Umbra Mondo even believes for a fact that they are dead. I will have to take her word on that.)” _

Cayde hissed a bit. “No wonder we haven’t been gettin’ any attacks besides Umbrati. They removed the competition.” He suddenly laughed. “Well, aren’t they selfish! They want us all to themselves!”

Andal sighed. “Just keep going, Cayde.”

“Right, right. Sorry.”

_ Part 8 _

_ “The resistance has admitted to me that they were not entirely the ones that stole the data. They only refer to their man as the Drifter. He single handedly broke into the Umbra Mondo, stole countless amounts of data, and delivered it back to the resistance. I have to say that I’m impressed. I do want to know what exactly they paid him, but all I really got was ‘a chance to set things right’. Whatever that meant. _

_ “I would seek out the Drifter to employ him myself, as his skills could be very useful. But after that, he disappeared off the map again. The resistance leader clarified that he is only found when he wants to be found. And with what he got, he’s only biding his time until he can use it.” _

Cayde looked surprised. “The Drifter is...alive,” he said. “I thought he was dead, with all of the rumors goin’ around.”

Andal sipped his coffee. “Drifter...still around, huh? Haven’t heard that name in forever. He’s one hell of a scaredy-cat when it comes to wars like these.”

“Which surprises me when he risked his life to steal this information.” Cayde tilted his head. “What could he have possibly been offered?”

_ Part 9 _

_ “There was a focus with the Drifter. He wanted information on something called the NMMA. I don't know what it stands for, but it was an object of importance to him. However, he took every last bit of data related to it. Perhaps that was what he wanted. But what did he want it for? What is the NMMA?” _

“Oh, damn!” Cayde suddenly looked incredibly focused when he flipped to the eleventh part, the last part of the pamphlet.

“What?” Carla leaned in. “What is it, Dad?”

“This last part’s talkin’ about Keith!”

Andal leaned in. “What?!”

“Who else can be a half-Galra?”

_ Part 10 _

_ “Apparently, Fox has a favored experimenting subject. It’s a male, with Galran genes mixed with human. Apparently, the head researcher Seraphina is looking for a way to bring out his recessive Galra genes. As of writing this, I heard that she had succeeded. When in a fit of great emotions, the subject’s Galra genes surface physically. _

_ “Stolen logs from a month ago state that the heavy experimentation has also taken a toll on his mannerisms and sanity. He acts less like a human, and more like an animal. If I wasn’t ordered to just sit back and watch, I would march into the Umbra Mondo myself to save him. Lady Isyn has ordered me to stand by, as she wishes no harm to come to me.” _

Cayde leaned back, a hand over his mouth. He said nothing, but simply stared ahead. No doubt, he couldn’t come up with anything to say from this report.

“The Blade of Marmora has to know,” Carla finally stated. “We can’t just say nothing.”

Andal looked up. “Chica, if they run into the Umbra Mondo, they’ll die. You know what happened to me. I have scars from multiple lances puncturing my body, making me a pin cushion!”

Cayde looked up. “Andal, I’m gonna be honest, I’m goin’ to die of shame if we keep this to ourselves. They need to know what’s happened to Keith.”

“Okay, but...imagine it like this. If we DON’T tell the Blade of Marmora, they won’t charge into the Umbra Mondo and nearly kill themselves!”

Carla turned in her chair. “Rowan, extract part 11 and send it to Krolia in an urgent email.”

Rowan blinked, and he stopped projecting the hologram, snapping out of his still state. “Okay!”

“Oh, chica, why?” Andal groaned.


	6. Bleeding Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters in chapter:
> 
> -Beleen  
-Kamui  
-Krolia  
-Uldren Sov/Pulled Pork  
-Nythera  
-Cypress  
-Leo  
-Keith  
-Shiro  
-Lance  
-Pidge  
-Hunk  
-Seraphina/Sigma  
-Fox  
-Shadow Queen  
-Mirage
> 
> Chapter summary:
> 
> Finally, after six months, they go to rescue Keith.

Beleen certainly has seen stranger sights, but this one stood out because it was taking place at 11 at night.

The girl had been running down to the hangar due to Asher leaving some papers in there. Her little pets were more than happy to grab them, but they had returned empty-handed. Since they couldn’t find them, she herself went down to the hangar to get them, leaving Asher in charge of the creatures.

Down there, she quickly noticed something was going on. She could see a few ships being loaded up, all by Blades of Marmora. She wouldn’t question it if Kamui wasn’t peeking into the hangar, watching with a suspicious expression.

Beleen walked over to him. “Kamui?” She questioned.

Kamui looked. “Sh! Keep your voice down!”

“Um...Sorry.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “What’s going on over there?”

“I have no idea. I was looking for Zeta when I found them like this.” Kamui looked up back at the Blades. “Why are they going so late at night? And what is it that requires literally all of them?”

Beleen shrugged. “It’s not our business to ask. It’s the duties of the Alliance.”

Kamui nodded slowly, but didn’t seem like he was listening. “Uh-huh...”

“Anyways, I gotta grab some papers and go. Have fun spying on them!” Beleen walked off cheerfully, humming a bit.

Kamui nodded again. “Uh-huh. Yea. You too.”

The Blades were not permitted at all to do this. Krolia had taken their case of saving Keith to the council for the umpteenth time, this time with the information that Rowan had recovered. All she did was make the vote 8 to 5 instead of the usual 10 to 3. It barely helped at all, though made its own effort.

Krolia herself paused, watching the loading sequence of each Blade. Each one of them had their masks up, but she could identify who was who. Cypress was the smallest one of the bunch, and Nythera had a little bit of a bulge on each side of her hood, where her pigtails were.

The Galra let out a subconscious sigh. “Wonder if these guys are actually ready to die...”

Uldren looked over. He had been standing right next to her, logging the progress. Kosmo was right next to him, watching the ships or them both. “Are you worried?”

“A little bit,” Krolia admitted. “We could very well die in the Umbra Mondo. Our loved ones may not even be able to retrieve our bodies.”

“Well, I’m not afraid.” Uldren looked ahead. “Keith needs us. We’ve waited long enough in rescuing him.”

Krolia looked over. “You all still have the opportunity to decline this job. We’ll be going against the entire Alliance. If we’re caught, who knows what the punishment would be?”

“Krolia.” Krolia looked back at Uldren, who removed his mask to show a death glare. “What would make you realize that we all don’t give a shit on what the consequences are? Keith is one of us. And he needs us now.” Uldren suddenly had a bitter, sad expression. “You know what happened when we weren’t there for a Blade.”

Krolia quickly looked away, readying her resolve. “Right. That won’t happen again.”

“Commander.” Krolia looked at a Blade walk up. “Everything’s loaded.”

“Alright. Thank you, Leo.” Krolia closed the pad she held in her hands.

Every Blade simultaneously froze when Shiro spoke. “And what’s going on here?”

Immediately, every Blade looked with frightened expressions. Shiro stood there, arms crossed. Behind him were Pidge, Allura, Hunk, and Lance, all armored and staring as well. Shiro himself was in Titan armor, a sharp contrast to their Voltron outfits.

“Shiro!” Krolia yelled a bit too loudly. “Why are you-?!”

“We were going out to the Umbra Mondo ourselves,” Shiro simply answered.

Immediately, Krolia went from worried to surprised. “Wait...You’re going to save Keith too?”

“Of course!” Lance shrugged. “Not only can we not really form Voltron without him, he’s our friend. So what if we’ve been hanging with other people with our different jobs? He’s still important to us.”

Krolia looked on with worry. “Are you sure you should fight? Your body, especially your muscles, have weakened from being in a six-month coma.”

Lance flexed, grinning. “Aw, I’ve been getting back in shape! Sure, I got some way to go, but I’ve certainly gotten better. And you don’t need much muscle to operate in the back of the army with a sniper rifle. I’ll be fine.”

Krolia still looked worried. “To be honest, none of you have been on the direct field for a large majority of the Alliance. Plus, if you’re caught, you could get in trouble.” Krolia paused, then looked at Shiro. “You could easily lose your position in the Alliance council.”

Shiro merely glared. “I wonder if you’re actually thinking I give a damn about my position when it comes to Keith.”

Krolia merely smiled in return. “Just merely offering a re-consideration. Welcome aboard, Paladins.”

Elsewhere, in the head researcher of the Umbra Mondo’s lab, she was pacing back and forth. She had barely slapped on her clothes today, disheveled and sleep deprived.

_ “You know, I am here for you, Seraphina.” _ Her arm glowed with blue, untamed power.  _ “All you have to do is just speak to me.” _

“You wouldn’t understand, Sigma.”

_ “Ah, yes. Because I am an amnesiac with crimes of terrorism and leading terrorism worldwide. And you are an amnesiac who is currently committing crimes of terrorism and leading terrorism universe-wide. We are so different.” _

Seraphina sighed. “It’s the experimental subject.”

_ “Hm? The Galra boy?” _

“Who else? All these months of just torturing him, seeing how he works...God, I’m going to have nightmares for the rest of my life.” Seraphina shuddered, then gripped a bunch of her hair. “I dread to figure out what Fox would do to him now.”

_ “...So do I,” _ Sigma admitted.

Seraphina stopped pulling at her hair, genuinely surprised. “You...are?”

_ “I’m a criminal. I’m not heartless. What we’ve done...haunts me, too.” _

A long distance away from Shadow’s Heart, a cast of ships landed. The Lions of Voltron touched down one by one, the Black Lion absent without its pilot. The Paladins exited first, bayards in their grip. The Blade of Marmora followed out of their own ships, Kosmo following Uldren.

Krolia looked ahead. “Shadow’s Heart is in that direction, right?”

“Keith will probably be in the center of the city.” Shiro pointed. “Where the castle is.”

“How can we get in?” Cypress asked.

Faro interrupted the conversation by yelling, “Why is there a lost child here?!”

Everyone looked. Faro was holding someone squirming by the back of the collar. They were wearing Umbrati armor, but had a swath of white hair.

Uldren paused as Kosmo growled at the newcomer. “Isn’t that the Vallian who sided with Fox?”

“Kamui, right?” Faro tugged on the boy.

“Ow! Yea, right!” Kamui batted his hands away. “I saw you guys leaving, and I wanted to see what you were up to!”

Shiro crossed his arms. “You snuck onto a ship, and definitely broke a few rules doing it.”

Kamui merely smiled. “If you report me, that will reveal what illegal activities you are doing right now as well, so you’ll come down with me.”

Shiro paused before looking away. “Touché,” he grunted.

Nythera frowned. “Well, we have to go, but what do we do with him?”

Hunk smiled. “Hey, he could stay here and watch the ships for us!”

“One guy, watching a whole fleet?” Krolia questioned. “He wouldn’t be able to hold off attackers.”

Kamui only laughed with a cocky expression. “Oh, you haven’t seen me in battle, lady.”

It happened in a second. During the time Uldren blinked, Krolia had Kamui judo flipped to the ground. She was on him in the next second, one hand twisting his leg. The other arm had his neck in a chokehold, causing him to flail around like a fish.

She didn’t even have an expression change. “Can someone stay with him in the ships?”

Faro raised his hand a bit. “I could.”

“Good.” Krolia got up, and Kamui gasped for air. “He can barely defend himself as it is.”

Uldren looked at Kamui squirming and attempting to regain his breath on the floor. “Are you sure that was the best course of action, Commander?” He looked over his shoulder at Krolia already beginning the trek to Shadow’s Heart.

“It proved my point, didn’t it?” She didn’t even look over her shoulder. Everyone glanced at each other before following her, leaving Faro and Kamui at the ships.

Faro looked at Kamui slowly getting up, stumbling a bit. “Need a shoulder to lean on?”

“That’ll be nice,” the Vallian gasped.

Faro put his arm on Kamui. “Don’t worry. They’ll be fine. Those scum can’t even touch any one of the Blades.”

Kamui looked a bit odd at that. “Scum?”

“Yea. Everything under Fox is just bad. All these loyal Umbrati and every other soldier should be eradicated.”

Kamui actually gulped, for some reason. “What if...he created soldiers?”

“Especially them! They’re just, like, cloned or something, right?” Kamui slowly nodded. “Then yes. I’ll shoot his little puppets on the spot, if I had the chance. No doubt the Alliance feels the same way.”

Kamui went silent, paling. He immediately looked away, though he didn’t move away from Faro helping him along.

In the castle, the Shadow Queen watched. She doubted that the Blade of Marmora could even dream about the possibility that they could sneak in without anyone knowing. She did give them credit for using the shadows to their opportunities while crawling through Shadow’s Heart. Perhaps she should make them Umbrati.

“Is he with them?” Fox questioned, standing by her throne. Ready and poised, with poisonous green eyes glimmering with contempt.

The Queen looked. “Which one are you talking about?”

“The Guardian, of course. The one our enemy predicted that would become a key part in overthrowing you.”

The Queen nodded. “Yes. He is. In fact, he’s leading this pack of theirs.” She smiled a bit. “It seems he’s quite raring to go.”

“I really hope he puts up a better fight,” Fox mused. “We beat him much too easily last time.”

“That was because you took him by surprise,” the Queen pointed out. “Maybe now you’ll actually give him a fighting chance?”

Fox sighed. “We’ll see. How is the subject?”

The Queen paused at that. “Well...he’s been better. He’s not exactly in a good condition. He’s still alive, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“Transfer him to a more secure cell. We still haven’t completed our indoctrination. We only need a few more weeks.”

The Queen sighed. “If that’s what you advise, alright.” She clapped her hands. “Mirage!”

The soldier immediately entered. His hand that had been cut off by Fox was entirely replaced. Under his glove was a perfect replica that operated to every whim of his brain.

“Yes, milady?”

“Tell Seraphina to move her experimental subject to a more secure cell. His supposed saviors are almost here. After that, return to your post to ready your defenses.”

“Of course, milady.” Mirage bowed, then left.

Outside of the throne room, the other Umbrati have gotten the word. They were scattering to defensive positions already, swords being grabbed and the occasional gun dragged along. Mirage hoped desperately they knew how to use guns. His worries were answered by one going flying from the recoil. He quickly gave a small prayer to whatever god existed before continuing.

The head researcher’s lab was nestled into a corner. It was barely anything exquisite. In fact, it was originally a storage area cleaned out and refurbished. Any Umbrati would miss the door upon first glance, and would even assume it to be of no importance.

Mirage pushed the door open with his shoulder. He gave no regard to knocking. “Seraphina.”

Seraphina jumped, having been leaning against the table. “Please knock next time!” She yelped.

Mirage shook his head. “Not important currently. I am here to give you orders from Fox.”

Seraphina gulped. “Of...course. What are they?”

“You must move the subject to a more secure location, first of all.” Mirage looked aside. “Second of all, you really just work on the NMMA. It is required for our plans.”

_ “Kill him,” _ Sigma whispered.  _ “We can chalk it up to the attackers, and nobody will know the difference.” _

Instead of playing along with Sigma’s wishes, Seraphina said, “I will get both done, love.”

Mirage only turned away. “Good. You really do not wish to suffer backlash, do you?”

Seraphina paused. An icy cold feeling set in fast. Before she could question those words, Mirage was out the door.

_ “Did he just imply that we would die if we were to fail in our duties?” _ Sigma questioned.

“I believe so.” Seraphina didn’t notice she was shaking until she looked down at her hand twitching.

_ “Killing him is still a good option, in my personal opinion.” _

Seraphina ignored him. Swallowing hard, she made her way to the back of the small lab.

The door there was reinforced, locked about three times over. Flaps were both on the bottom and in the center of it, allowing food to slip through or under. Placing an ear on the door, you could hear faint, raspy breathing.

“He sounds worse,” Seraphina murmured. “Oh no, I really don’t want to see him.”

_ “We have to.” _ Sigma nudged Seraphina on.  _ “Hurry, now.” _

Seraphina began to unlock the first bolt, but stopped and looked over her shoulder. She could hear the sound of distant booming, from faint explosions. Gunfire was beginning to ring out, but they were all quickly silenced. Were the Umbrati really that bad with guns?

_ “Let’s go!”  _ Sigma hissed, snapping her out of it.

The woman fumbled with the locks. The breathing has stopped, as if the prisoner was holding his breath. Yea, he’s definitely hearing what’s going on.

Keith had gone...feral, so to say. He snapped at anyone that went near him, except for Seraphina, who had quickly secured herself on his good side when she comforted and stayed with him when he needed it the most. He didn’t even talk anymore. He just communicated in growls native to the more feline members of the Galra.

The sudden fang growth damaged a few of his teeth. The last she checked, his gums had begun to show signs of infection, causing great discomfort to him. She tried to brush his teeth to stop the infection, but he immediately began biting at her, and she decided against it.

The ears were permanent, as well. The ears shapeshifting from human to Galran constantly would have damaged the cartilage too greatly, and make a scarred, lumped mess instead of an ear. The large, Galran ears poked out from his large curtain of hair, perking up or going down depending on his mood. They were always down.

His hands bled a lot. Instead of being normal, human hands, they have hardened at the edges. His nails have fallen out, and his fingertips turned into sharp, thin claws. Seraphina couldn’t imagine how painful that process was, because of all of the nerves in the hand.

The retooling of his genes seemed to now wire entirely on his emotions. When he was under a period of great emotion, his peach complexion would immediately form violet fur. His eyes would turn to completely yellow voids, not unlike the Umbrati. As any normal being would tell, he was always under great stress or sadness, because Seraphina hasn’t seen his human form since the day the process finalized.

Keith was on his knees, wearing rags for a prisoner outfit. His arms were chained to the wall on the opposite side of the small prison cell. A muzzle cut into his face, blood dripping from the cuts made by it. Yellow sclera stared at the ground, unblinking. Seraphina could still see the occasional tear plink onto the floor.

“Keith, we have to leave.” Keith looked up. “Yea. We’re going outside of this cell.” Seraphina knelt down in front of him. “I just...need you to cooperate with me.”

Another explosion. It was much closer now.

_ “Seraphina, we have to act fast!” _ Sigma warned.

“I know.”

Seraphina didn’t even go for the keys to the shackles. With one swipe, she cleaved off the chains holding Keith against the wall. With the shackles still on him, his arms dropped to the ground, and he looked up in surprise.

She quickly unfastened the muzzle, looking at the scratches and holes in his face. “Your friends are here. Go, now!”

_ “Are you letting him go?” _

Seraphina looked down at her bare arm. “What, are you mad?”

_ “No. Not at all.” _

Except Keith didn’t move. He stared at her blankly, as if waiting for her to leave. His breathing remained hoarse, and the blood just continued to drip onto the floor.

Finally, he spoke weakly. “Mom?” He said.

“Yes! Your mother may be here! And your friends! And everyone else!” Seraphina made a wide gesture behind her with her hands. “So just go to them!”

“...I-”

Suddenly, Keith gave a scream, and clutched his head. Seraphina stepped back, her eyes widening a bit. 

What’s going on? She never saw him like this before. Did he get a migraine from the light? Has he calmed down enough, and was now shifting back to a more human physique?

And that was when Sigma finally realized,  _ “Fox started the indoctrination process ahead of time without our consent.” _

“Oh, fuck,” was Seraphina’s response just before Keith blasted past her, slamming into the wall.

The sudden bolt for whatever Keith’s target was coincided with an explosion. Seraphina looked up to see Mirage fly into the room and slam into the other side. He even left an indent, slipping down to the floor.

“Mirage!” Seraphina immediately ran over to his side.

She immediately noticed liquid. It was clear, staining the chest of his clothes. It wasn’t blood, but it seemed to come from Mirage.

When he sat up, she could hear a sloshing noise. He had a hand over his chest, suddenly looking very worried.

“My life support frame broke,” he whispered. “The fluid’s leaking.”

Seraphina suddenly looked very panicked. “Oh, god.”

Mirage immediately laid back down, to try and prevent any more liquid from leaking out. “I’m probably going to die if I leak any more,” he hissed.

“Just stay down,” Seraphina said. “Sitting up will cause more to leak out.”

_ “Seraphina!” _ Sigma suddenly yelled.  _ “Be aware of what’s going on!” _

Seraphina looked up in time to see someone fly over her head and smack into the wall. She looked at the Blade of Marmora outfit, then at their unrecognizable face clawed into ribbons. They weren’t moving.

Nythera leapt across the table, two runes on each hand. “Take this, you hellspawn!” She yelled, blasting bouts of fire magic at Keith, who dodged. He was stained with blood, but some of it wasn’t his.

They didn’t know. They couldn’t tell it was him. Seraphina couldn’t blame them. He just looks so...different.

“Wait!” Seraphina yelled, standing up.

Leo turned to glare. In an instant, she was launched back by fast-growing plants. Her ears rang the moment she was pinned to the wall, one vine around her throat and ready to crush in an instant.

“How weak,” Leo murmured, watching her pitifully struggle.

Nythera dropped back to Krolia’s side. “Do you recognize the Galra, Commander?”

Krolia didn’t answer. She only squinted at the figure, trying to make sense of the half-dead Galra trying to kill them right now. Their whole features were so ragged and unclean, it was really impossible to identify.

Uldren had his Arc staff in hand. “Why would Fox have a Galra on his side?”

Kosmo was whining. He was tugging on Uldren’s leg with his jaw gently, but firmly, as if to try and stop him. But why? What was going on?

“They could have been pulled from the Galra Empire era, in a different timeline,” Pidge suggested. “But they’re not wearing any armor indicating that whatsoever.”

“Are you all half-witted?!” Seraphina suddenly yelled, her entire body flashing blue. “That’s your friend!”

She realized rather quickly that she wasn’t the one talking. Since when could Sigma control that? Well, it at least got their attention.

Uldren looked shocked, suddenly seeing the resemblance. “...Keith?”

“Don’t try to talk to him!” Seraphina responded. “He’s not going to recognize you! He’s been partially indoctrinated by Fox! All you can do is knock him out and take him back with you!”

Ignoring her, Uldren immediately deactivated his mask, letting his face show. “Keith! Keith, stop this! It’s me!”

Keith actually paused. His completely yellow eyes went a bit wider as he continued to stare at Uldren. Did he actually recognize him in that state?

Uldren slowly lowered his Arc staff, letting it disappear from his grasp. “Keith, it’s us. Your friends.”

Keith...chuckled. It wasn’t lighthearted at all. It was deep, and haunting.

“Hello again, Sov.” Keith sagged to the side, one hand on his hip. “The last time I saw you, you couldn’t even look me in the eye. You wanted to kill me so badly.”

Uldren narrowed his eyes. “Fox.”

Keith looked over at Seraphina. “You might want to release her. She truly has to rush her beloved husband to the medical bay. His life support is failing at the moment.”

“I could kill her,” Leo suggested. “One squeeze of my hands, and she’ll be dead.”

Immediately, Keith grabbed the closest thing he could, a scalpel. In an instant, he had it to his neck, and he already was digging it in.

“Do it,” he dared. “Kill her, and I’ll kill the boy.”

Uldren reached out a hand. “No!”

“I’ll call your bluff!” Leo instigated. “If you kill him, there’s nothing between us and you!”

“And then the queen will effectively cream us!” Lance warned. “This isn’t a bluff!”

“Let her go!” Uldren screamed, desperation in his voice. “Leo, please!”

Leo said nothing. However, Seraphina gasped when the vine released her neck, and she collapsed to the ground. She sat there on her knees, sweat collecting on her face.

“You might want to rush Mirage to the med bay,” Keith reminded her.

“H-Huh? Oh! Of...Of course, Lord Fox.” Still shaken, Seraphina rushed over to Mirage on the ground. The Blades did nothing as she picked him up gently and ran out of the small lab.

Keith removed the scalpel from his neck, blood already staining his fur. “Good. Now there will be no interruptions.”

Uldren raised the hand cannon having been clipped to his side. “Release Keith.”

“Or you’ll what? Kill me?” Keith laughed. “Oh, please. You have nothing against me. You’re in my territory, with no hope of saving your dear little Keith. In fact, he barely recognizes many of you, due to your lack of rescuing over the past few months.”

“I said release him!” Uldren yelled.

“You know, I was informed by my spies that the chrono angel in Insurrection’s Abyss has predicted you to be a thorn in my side. If I kill you now, I can remove that thorn.”

Uldren paused. “What could I possibly do that makes me such an annoyance to you?”

“I have no clue. I would ask them myself, but they have gone quiet on the subject.” Keith huffed. “Anyways, give me one good reason to not kill you all on the spot.”

Cypress clenched her fists. “We spice up your game. We entertain you.”

“Oh, a very good proposition! Unfortunately, the Alliance is quite entertaining already, running around like headless chickens. A few missing wouldn’t bother me too much.”

Shiro racked his brain for another solution. “We’re important to the future.”

“Yours. Not mine. Strike two.” Keith waved the scalpel a bit. “Who wants to try one last time?”

Uldren did. Summoning his Arc staff to his hand, he swung it at Keith’s head. It made contact, and he fell over, a line on his face now burning.

Keith, however, looked much more concerned about other things than a mere burn. He gripped his head, suddenly snarling with renowned ferocity. Wisps of darkness were flying off of him, and a feral growl was beginning to bubble up in his throat.

“How...what...?!” He hissed.

Uldren stood over him, letting the staff hang at his side. “I’ve been thinking this entire time we were talking. Seraphina spoke of Keith being only partially brainwashed. Technological means would mean it would have been 100%. So I came to the conclusion that you used shadow magic to take control of Keith.”

Keith staggered up. “That strike...so much...light…!”

“I’ve been sparring with Rowan.” Uldren looked at the staff. “He’s been tinkering with the Arc staff to have a stronger output of Light so it can be used more effectively against the Umbra Mondo. Seems it came in handy, to remove your control on him.”

“You thought of all that in just the time we had?” Hunk wondered.

“Is it surprising?” Uldren actually looked confused at Hunk’s astonishment.

Keith was trying to get up, but failing to do so. “You really...surprise me...Sov...” He laughed that insane laugh one more time before abruptly cutting himself off to scream and claw at the sides of his head.

“Keith!” Krolia yelled. “Keith, it’s alright!”

Shiro knelt down, grabbing him by the shoulders. “Keith, it’s going to be okay! You’re alright! We’re here, now!”

Keith’s screams broke off into choked sobs. Tears already were beginning to pour down his bloodied face, and he looked up with a hazy gaze at Shiro.

“Shiro?” He whimpered.

Immediately, Shiro pulled him into a hug. “It’s going to be alright,” he whispered. “We’re here to take you home.”

Keith broke into tears again. He grabbed Shiro tightly and refused to let go. His Galra ears flattened as low as they could, while blood and tears made for a gritty, fuzz-covered face.

It broke Uldren’s heart to see him like this. Standing here, watching his closest friend fall apart like this...it makes it feel like forever ago that he had helped his Ghost find him in the Dreaming City.

Uldren slowly knelt down as well. “Keith?” He whispered without meaning to.

Immediately, Shiro was released, and Uldren felt Keith crash into him. He had wrapped his arms around the Awoken’s chest and now didn’t want to let go. Uldren was flushing purple, but refused to make Keith let go.

“Hey, we have to go!” Nythera snapped. “We should hurry it up!”

Uldren immediately glanced over Keith’s ragged and bleeding condition. “Can you walk?” He questioned.

“It hurts,” Keith merely answered vaguely.

Uldren immediately shifted Keith onto his back. Holding both his arms over his shoulders, he bent slightly so Keith could rest on his back in a pack-strap carry.

Already, explosions were kicking back up again. Cypress was firing a gun at approaching Umbrati, while Leo and Nythera swung explosive spells galore. Dust was kicked up everywhere, and by the time it cleared up, the Blade of Marmora and the Paladins were long gone.

Fox was livid. He wasn’t mad at losing Keith. He was mad that he got outsmarted in such a simple manner. It absolutely infuriated him to watch a six-month plan be undone in a minute by a kinderguardian with a glowstick. He really wanted to wring that boy’s neck, now.

The Shadow Queen watched him mutter and swear, pacing. “It’s a mere loss,” she tried to explain. “We didn’t lose anything.”

“I lost my pride!” Fox proclaimed. “To be beaten so quickly?! I hate it!”

“To be honest, weaponizing Keith at partial indoctrination was a bad idea, Fox,” the Queen pointed out.

“Is this what they meant?” Fox questioned. “That Uldren will begin to outsmart me in every way?”

“Then he would be a rival of sorts. Not living up to how they exaggerated his role. They did say you would have a breakdown at the truth.”

“We have to stop him,” Fox suddenly realized. “Before he gets to that supposed role.”

“And how do we do that?”

Fox paused, then smirked. It was one that haunted many people, but was a common occurrence for the Queen.

“Put his name on the list, and we’ll have all slots filled.”

“Oh! You’re right. We only needed one more.” The Queen frowned. “Do you think that it will kill him?”

“I hope it will.” Fox turned away. “It has to.”

In the ruins of the lab, Seraphina stood. Mirage was left at the med bay to have his cracked life support container fixed. She had returned to find an absolute mess in her area.

_ “That could have gone better,”  _ Sigma snarked.

“I wonder how you got that,” she replied with equal sarcasm.

Sigma watched from Seraphina’s eyes as she looked around.  _ “Well, at least we still have some things in one piece.” _

“You can control my voice.” Sigma paused, and Seraphina pressed on. “What else can you do?”

_ “...I’ve been learning to control various parts of you. My powers are still localized in your arm, and your mind is off limits to me.” _

Seraphina frowned. “Thanks...I guess.”

_ “Should we resume our task?” _

“Of course. After I finish cleaning as best as I can.” Seraphina picked up a large rock of rubble. “Wu Ming wanted an avatar for the NMMA by the end of the month, and hollowing out one of the preset avatars is the way to go.”

Elsewhere, Kamui jumped from his seat when the door smacked open, screaming. He was already holding his sword, ready to stab whoever had barged in.

“Sit the fuck back down!” Uldren marched past him, carrying Keith.

Kamui saluted. “Yes, sir!” He plopped himself back down immediately.

Cypress began to type into the controls. “Recalibrating to get back to the Alliance.” She looked over at Faro. “Hey, how long do you think we can hide Keith until Commander Zavala finds out?”

“Well, that’s not if Commander Takashi comes clean first,” he replied, giving a shrug.

In the back of the ship, Uldren had Pulled Pork flying around Keith laying down on a medical bed and Kosmo curled up next to him. He was at a table, holding a cloth and pouring disinfect onto it.

“Please talk to me,” Pulled Pork was saying. “Just say something, anything. I may not have missed you as much as your family or the other paladins did, and nobody missed you more than my Guardian, but...I still missed you.”

Keith didn’t respond. He stared at his hands covered in purple fuzz. It was probably lighter than it was, but it was so filthy and congealed that it was impossible to tell the original color. He also would not stop shaking. It was difficult to tell whether it was from how cold he was or what had happened to him.

Uldren knelt by him, holding the rag. “Keith, are you cold? Hungry?” Uldren paused to let him speak, but got no response. “Please talk to me. I know you’re upset at me, but...”

Keith’s eyes widened a bit. “Up...set?” he asked, and Uldren could see the yellowed, twisted teeth and the black beginnings of infection. The fang growth had damaged a lot in the frontal area of his teeth.

“We...We didn’t come for you for so long. We let this happen to you, the council didn’t allow us to...to save you, and I’m sorry!” Uldren reached out to caress Keith’s cheek. “We’re all sorry.”

Keith closed his eyes. He let Uldren’s fingers rest against the fuzz on his cheeks. He didn’t let it show on the outside, but he revealed at the cool and gentle touch.

A rolling wave of heat washed over him, and went as quickly as it came. He grunted at the discomfort, but stopped when he felt much colder than before. It was heavenly, after being locked in a hot cell constantly without being able to move and most of his muscles locking up.

“Uldren, is his fur falling out?” Pulled Pork suddenly asked.

Uldren’s hand left Keith’s cheek in a sweeping motion. “It...It is,” he realized.

At once, Keith had shed all of his fur, save for the large Galra ears still present on the sides of his head. Clumps of it fell in congealed and disgusting messes, and revealed peach skin and horrific wounds and scars underneath.

His face was covered in gashes, similar to Shiro’s scar, and there was a burn on the side of his forehead where Uldren’s Arc Staff had hit. His wrists were covered in slices and burns from the cuffs having constantly been on them. Every single cut looked to be infected, leaking pus and drying into nasty scabs. Uldren prayed that they wouldn’t scar.

But his hands...oh god, his hands. They just looked so...wrong. There were no more fingernails. The edges of his fingertips were now clawed and pointed, and were hard to the touch. His palms and hands were bleeding and covered in stitches. His flesh had dips and uneven lining. Uldren could clearly see Keith couldn’t even curl up his hand into a fist on how swollen they were.

“Oh no,” Uldren murmured. He lifted a hand back to Keith’s bloody face, cupping his face with it. “Oh...no.”

“Please don’t,” Keith croaked. “Don’t...”

“I’m so sorry.” Uldren began to fall apart, tears falling down his face. He collapsed to his knees, letting his hands fall to his sides. “I’m so sorry, Keith, this is my fault. I led you into his hands. I was so stupid, you ended up like this because of me!”

Keith only shuffled forward on the bed and tapped his forehead against Uldren’s. He still didn’t say anything, most likely because of the pain.

“He forgives you,” Pulled Pork simply translates. “And you need to realize that this probably would have happened either way. All you can do now is help him now.”

Uldren looked up his eyes, not daring to move his head. Keith’s eyes were half-opened, purple irises staring into his washed orange ones. Neither of them said anything, but just stayed there, watching each other and waiting throughout the quiet moment. They just listened to the soft hum of the ship taking off and leaving the Umbra Mondo right behind them.

Uldren smiled a bit. “Commander Zavala is going to lose his mind when he realizes we saved you.”

Keith chuckled a bit. “I know,” he grunted.

That wasn’t much, but it was a start. It was a start Uldren could work with.

At the Alliance, as soon as the group returned from the unapproved mission with a half-dead Galra Keith, Zavala and Shiro were arguing up a storm. Adam had listened in for a few minutes, then quickly decided to leave after it got worse somehow. Lucy and Cayde were bunkering down in the former’s station, wide-eyed at the absolute war in the Vanguard hall. Even Ikora was a bit terrified.

Lance has admitted that he has never felt prouder of what they did. Pidge was on edge, and Hunk quickly returned to the parlor to try and take his mind off of the mission and its subtle horrors. And the Blade of Marmora held their breath and waited.

Keith was in the medical wing for as little time as possible. Libra healed all of his wounds, though pointed out quite a lot would remain as scars, his hands being an example. There would also have to be reconstructive oral surgery to realign and repair Keith’s teeth and gums, which had been damaged from the fang growth.

Once he was let out from his initial healing, he immediately returned home to the apartment he and Uldren shared with Kosmo. The Awoken noted that he had never seen Keith happier in that moment by just sitting there, taking the whole place in. There was nothing impressive. It was just so surreal to be back there. He also ate as many sweet foods as he could, worrying Uldren as he could damage his teeth even more.

Keith had to be off from the field for at least a few more weeks, at least until reconstructive oral surgery had been proceeded with, he had recovered some of his muscle loss, and he had recovered from the traumatic events. That meant he either stayed in the apartment, or was at the Alliance, trying persistently to repair the relationships that had been declining since his kidnapping.

Everyone absolutely loved to have him back, and loved to see his Galra form. Once he had a better hold on slipping between human to Galra, people immediately began petting him and calling him a cat. Cayde was an absolute sucker, scratching Keith under the chin and cooing until he got sucker punched in the face by Keith.

Uldren had barely laughed for the last few months. The lost of Tak had weighed down on him, and the failure of protecting Keith had only made it worse. So it actually felt really, really good to finally laugh with Keith again about some stupid crap. He knew that it felt good to Keith, too.

Oh god, he remembers nearly busting his gut when Keith finally had his required oral surgery. His slurring and dizzy behavior made him a sight to behold. Not only that, but either he was so drugged that his emotions were through the roof, or the drugs had just stunted his shifting. Whatever it was, he was Galra, no matter what, in his drugged state.

Keith was facefirst in his bed as Kosmo sat by, licking his face. “Mmmmmmmmm...”

Uldren sat by in a chair, watching Keith to make sure nothing bad would happen while he was in his state. “Are you feeling okay, Keith?”

Keith lifted his head to look. “I always feel okay when I stare at you, hot stuff.”

Uldren tried to stifle a laugh. It was adorable, but it's so hilarious from the stupid slurring. “Okay, just let me know if you need anything.”

Keith immediately made grabby motions. “I wan’ you, then.”

Uldren couldn’t help it. Leaning over, he began laughing at the whole scene.

Keith pouted, cheeks puffing up like a chipmunk’s. “I wan’ huggies!”

“Okay, okay.” Uldren swung onto the bed, and dropped down onto it, making the mattress shake upon impact. “You can have huggies.”

Immediately, Keith yanked him under the covers. Planting his face into the other’s chest, he hugged him close and began to purr. Uldren would laugh if he wasn’t so embarrassed.

After a few minutes, Keith lifted his head. “Oh, wait,” he seemed to realize. “My teeth are okay.”

The Awoken tilted his head. “Yeees, so what?”

He kissed him. Keith grabbed Uldren by the hips and pulled him straight into a kiss. And it was the best damn thing Uldren has experienced, and it made up for the entire six months alone.

Keith pulled away, exhaling against his lips. “I wanted t’ do that in th’ ship, y’know? When we were commin’ back. But I realized I had icky teeth. So I had to wait until I got better teeth.”

Uldren’s face was completely purple. “You’ve been...waiting to do that this entire time?”

“Probs longer?” Keith admitted. “I mean, you were eye candy the moment Pulled Pork revived you.”

“Is...this your way of a love confession?”

“...I guess.” Keith laid his ears flat before pressing his head against Uldren’s chest, wrapping his arms around his body. “Stupid, right?”

“No, it...it’s good. Good enough for me.” Uldren leaned his head so it was on top of Keith’s.

“...Well, that was easier than I imagined,” Keith murmured.

Uldren actually nodded in agreement. “Yea, it was,” he admitted.

Kosmo leapt up onto the bed, yawning. He immediately plopped himself down across the both of them, but stared at Uldren. That was probably his way of saying, ‘hurt him and I will find you and get your Ghost first.’

_ Please don’t, Kosmo _ , Pulled Pork pleaded in the depths of Uldren’s mind.

Uldren still reached to pet him, though. He just smiled, and continued to rest his forehead on Keith’s head in a gentle, protective manner.

But it wasn’t all sunshine and happiness. For recovery came with trauma. And trauma was always accompanied by the terrifying things called nightmares.

Keith woke up screaming one time. Uldren had to wrestle with him to calm him down. He got multiple claw marks across his face and body, culminating in Keith’s hand raking into Uldren’s palm.

“Keith!” Uldren had to yell at him, who was completely Galra in his period of stress. “Keith, it’s me! You’re okay!”

Keith paused, shivering. He had one hand tightening around Uldren’s shoulder, making blood well out of a line of punctures. The other had stabbed right through Uldren’s hand. A low whimper began to build up in his throat. Finally, he came undone, beginning to sob as he released the Awoken.

As Pulled Pork took the time to heal the wounds on Uldren, he began to scratch behind Keith’s ears, having learned very quickly he likes that. He also thumbed his fingers, watching them return to their scarred, but still clawed human form.

“It’s okay,” he murmured quietly. “It’s going to be okay.”

“I want it to stop,” Keith sobbed. “I want it all to stop. I never asked for this.”

Uldren continued to stroke his hair and ears. “I know, Keith. I know, I want my own pain to stop, too.”

“...Uldren?”

“Yes?”

Keith pressed his cheek to the Guardian's chest. “I love you.”

“...I love you, too.” Uldren smiled, but it had a bitter twang to it. Still, he pressed a gentle kiss to Keith’s head, listening to the soft purr it emanated.


	7. Old Scars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters in chapter:
> 
> -Andal Brask  
-Carla  
-Cayde-6  
-Rowan  
-Lucy-1  
-Libra  
-Virion  
-Sapphire  
-Talli  
-Lance  
-Asher Mir  
-Beleen  
-Libra
> 
> Chapter summary:
> 
> Andal's sentence wears down on his sense of self.

Andal was trusted, but not befriended. How could he possibly blame everyone? He murdered people in cold blood, and they didn’t deserve to die. It was all his fault that the kingdom of Hoshido has ended up with two dead heirs and one missing heir. It seems they will forever be stuck in an endless loop of mourning.

Instead of being a renowned sniper and worthy ally, he was a criminal frowned upon. He couldn’t make friendships. And he couldn’t even repair a few broken ones. All he could really do was just...sit and wait.

He tried to not wait. He tried numerous times to hurry along his death. Overdose. Hanging. Self-mutilation. And every single damn time, Cayde stopped him.

“I won’t let you die,” Cayde had murmured softly as Andal was sobbing on the floor. He held the sniper gently, as if he were made of glass. “I won’t allow you to die.”

“Just let me die!” Andal was sobbing. “Let me fucking die!”

“I can’t. I won’t.” Cayde just shook his head.

Now, Andal swallowed another shot of hard liquor. It burned his throat, and he cringed, but relished the pain. It was the closest to a thrill he could get.

He sat outside at the Tower balcony, continuously pouring himself shots from the bottles by his side. Either nobody paid attention to him, or steered way clear of him. It was definitely the latter.

He hated all of them. He hated their smiling. He hated their laughing. Why should they be happy? Why should anyone else be allowed to be happy?

They haven’t worked as hard as he did, and still came up with nothing. They weren’t condemned with a fate worse than death. They were allowed to roam in and out, and flaunt their freedom and ability to even hold a fucking pistol.

Andal hated them so much. Every last one of them. Every person that condemned this to this hell. He couldn’t even die. He wasn’t allowed to die.

The bottles clinked together, and Andal looked to see someone picking them up. “You’ve been drinking way too much, uncle.”

“Carla.” Andal nodded a bit.

Carla paused and looked at him. “Do you want to talk?”

“No.” Andal quickly looked away.

“Is that a lie?”

“Not at all.” Andal waved her away. “Go do...whatever you do outside of the Tower.”

Carla paused, staring at him. She clutched empty bottles in both hands. Her expression was one of sympathies, and she looked ready to just drop the bottles and give him a hug, something Andal did not want.

He thanked Cayde in his head when he walked up. “Hey, diamond two. Got a moment?”

“Huh?” Carla looked. “Oh. No. What is it?”

“Yea, I need to talk to Andal. So could you spare us the time?”

Carla looked again at Andal. “I...yes. I can.” She looked at Andal again before quickly leaving.

The Exo sat down next to Andal. Surprisingly, giving what he drank, he wasn’t in any way tipsy. Has he actually been getting more resistant to alcohol?

“Are you alright?” Cayde asked Andal.

Andal immediately opened up on instinct. “Not in the damn slightest.”

Cayde placed a hand on his shoulder. “Talk to me.”

“I...I hate everyone. Everyone gets to run around and do whatever the hell they want. Meanwhile, I’m locked up in the Tower, unable to do what I spent my entire life dedicated to. Why am I still trapped here while everyone can fight their fights?”

“You don’t have a fight,” Cayde gently said.

“Yes I do! Fox ruined my life! I want to do all I can to stop him! Not be branded a criminal a-and...sit here and wait to die!”

Cayde looked up. “You’re probably not going to die for a long time. Your lifespan will probably last until you’re killed physically, because of your Guardian background.”

“That makes it even worse, Cayde!” Andal gripped his head, tilting back to look up at the sky. “I want to be back out there. I want to at least hold a gun again. I want to put a bullet in one Umbrati’s face. Just...one. I’ll do anything for that.”

Cayde went silent. He looked away from Andal, staring down at the floor. His optics blinked a few times, as if he was considering what to do.

“You wanna go back inside?” He asked. “With the family?”

Andal sniffed, then rubbed his eyes. “Yea. Yea, I think that may be best.”

The small complex was almost exactly the same as the boys had left it. Carla had returned herself and was on the couch, cleaning her lance and Timeweaver by her side, half-dismantled and cleaned out. She was the only one at home. Rowan and Lucy were doing whatever their respective roles commanded them to, and Talli was out with Virion and Libra to play with their daughter Sapphire.

Carla looked up as they entered. “Hey, uncle! Hey, Dad!”

“Diamond two!” Cayde kissed her on the head, then glanced over at Timeweaver. “You need some help with that?”

“No.” Carla paused. “Well, I’ll love your help. I don’t mean to be cheesy, but...I like just having quiet moments with you. I wasn’t really allowed father bonding moments growing up.”

Cayde immediately sat down, cracking a smile. “Oh, great! Andal, you built this gun, right? I know Shion wasn’t really about guns.”

“Huh?” Andal sat down. “Oh. I...I did.”

“Cool! Can you show me a bit on how the mechanisms work? I think I’ll be able to take it from there.”

Carla leaned forward to take a shot of Foreteller’s Light Beer. “Says the man who had a hard time building my crib when I was an infant.”

Cayde lightly hit her wrist. “Hey. No drinkin’. It’s bad enough that Andal’s been drinkin’ way too much to be healthy. I don’t need you doin’ the same.”

Andal snagged the shot before Carla could grab it. “Hey, it’s better if only one of us ends up in the gutter. The entire timeline doesn’t need you drunk off your rocker. We need you.” He downed the shot in one gulp, tasting the distinct flavoring of what can only be described as cotton candy.

“I can hold my liquor.” Carla huffed.

“I’m not holdin’ your hair back after you prove yourself wrong,” Cayde teased before picking up Timeweaver. “Now, show me the ropes here, Andal.”

Timeweaver was a very distinct gun because it had no bullet insertion. A small shard of Chronite was placed into the gun. A chrono angel could channel their magic into the Chronite, and it would fire blasts of blue. However, that meant only chrono angels who knew how to channel their magic could use the gun. Otherwise, it was practically on safety for anyone else.

Cayde picked up the piece of Chronite, inspecting it. “You’ve used the same shard for...I wanna say six years?” He guessed.

“Yea.” Carla pointed out parts of the shard. “You can see parts where it’s duller than others. I need to get it replaced, soon.”

“How do you get Chronite?” Cayde asked.

“It’s something only chrono angels could do,” Andal explained. “And it’s not something we share.”

“Aw, I can keep a family secret!” Cayde placed a hand on his chest. “Swear on it.”

Carla smiled. “Well, Chronite is an infinite supply. They’re created daily, and there’s a whole depot of it in Shion. Only chrono angels can mine them, and if anyone else tries it, they’ll be destroyed and erased from time by the powers of Chronite. And the stuff in large quantities could even show ill effects to chrono angels.”

Cayde tilted his head. “Could Chronite exist in timelines?”

“No, I don’t think so.” Carla shook her head. “Just in Shion. Maybe time breaks?”

Cayde shrugged, clicking the Chronite back into its spot in the gun. “Worth the question.”

Carla began to think. “Though that does worry me. After disappearing for almost six years, I can’t help but worry what would happen if I show back up in Shion. I can’t simply just go in, get new Chronite, then leave again.”

Andal paused, as well. “And...Keya would be about sixteen, right? How would she react? Is she even okay?”

Carla looked over. “Of course she is. The chrono angels wouldn’t leave an orphan on the streets.” She looked back up at the ceiling. “Of course, that won’t stop me from worrying for her. And speaking of worrying...” Carla looked down at Andal’s arms.

He immediately rolled up his sleeves to look at his robotic limbs. “Oh, these? I’ve...gotten used to them.”

“Are you sure?” She asked. “Since your magic-infused arm was one of the things lost, it must be hard to adjust to life without it.”

“While I will admit I have subconsciously attempted to use the magic I don’t have anymore, I will say that I am...adjusting. I’ve lived without chrono magic before. I’m just going to do it again.”

The door creaked open, and the three looked. A half-asleep Rowan was dragging along an even more tired Lucy. He even had to put effort into closing the door behind them.

Cayde d’awwed and took his wife. “Did Pinky have a rough time with the papers?”

“They’re like the medicine you take to sleep better...” Lucy muttered, cracking an eye open.

Rowan chuckled. “I found her drooling on her papers in the Vanguard Hall. Ikora had called me over to take her back home.”

Cayde looked up. “Usually Zavala would do that.”

Rowan actually paused. “Surprisingly? Zavala wasn’t there.”

Cayde looked shocked. “You...You’re pullin’ my leg. Zavala wasn’t in the Vanguard Hall?”

“I know! I was surprised, myself! Ikora said it was because of that argument he and Shiro had when the Blade of Marmora and Paladins rescued Keith.”

“Oh, yea,” Carla noted. “That was counted as going against the council’s statement, right?”

“Sure was. Zavala and Shiro really were at each other’s throats.” Rowan paused to ponder. “Man, their friendship really has been on the ropes since then, I guess.”

Cayde shrugged. “Who could blame them? Zavala’s all about the rules, and Shiro goes and breaks them. Once Zavvie realizes it was for a good cause, he’ll calm down. I’m sure of it!”

Rowan suddenly realized something. “Oh! Speaking of Keith, you won’t believe it.”

Cayde leaned in. “Ooh! Something juicy? Come on, give me the details.”

“He and Uldren finally got together.”

Immediately, Cayde threw his arms in the air. “Yes! Finally! How did you find out?”

“They were holding hands in the Tower hanger. When I was going to ask them what that was about, Keith...!” Rowan paused, then giggled a bit. “Keith leaned over and kissed Uldren!”

Carla smiled a bit. “It’s about time. They’ll be really happy together, I know it. Oh, has Uldren been sleeping better, as well?”

“A lot. A lot of color has returned to his face, and those dark circles aren’t obvious anymore. It’s really relieving to see him okay.”

Everyone looked up at a sudden knock at the door. Judging by giggling on the other end, Talli was a part of the oncoming party.

“Oh!” Cayde smiled. “That must be diamond one with the gem and her family.” He noticed Andal look a bit confused. “She went over to their complex for a playdate. What, do you think they play over here all the time?”

Rowan stood up. “I’ll get the door.”

The Reploid cracked open the door. Talli stood by Sapphire’s side, both of their faces covered in blue marker while they grinned. The latter’s parents, Virion and Libra, stood by them, Virion having knocked on the door.

Virion smiled. “Hello, Rowan. Talli’s probably ready for a bath.”

“Aw!” Rowan knelt down. “Did you have a messy playdate?” He looked up. “Sorry for that.”

“Don’t be.” Libra smiled in return. “Sapphire hasn’t ever smiled like this. And at least it was only their faces, not the walls. Even then, I doubt I could be mad.”

Virion suddenly gave a small noise of alarm. He suddenly pulled Sapphire behind him, a hand separating her and Talli. Rowan blinked in surprise, then looked over his shoulder to see Andal in clear sight, having been watching the scene.

Rowan stood up, hands raised. “Hey, it’s okay,” he said. “Andal’s alright.”

“Are you sure it’s right for Talli to be around him?” Libra asked. “He could...hurt her.”

As Andal looked crestfallen, Rowan shook his head. “No. He would never do that.”

Virion narrowed his eyes. “I wonder if you would have spoken the same tirade in the time before he murdered Takumi and Dynamo in cold blood.”

Rowan involuntarily gulped at the hostility. “That...wasn’t him.”

“Then who was the Spanish sharpshooter that is part-chrono angel that callously murdered close family friends?” Virion glared when Rowan didn’t answer. “That’s what I expected.”

Talli looked up. “Does this mean I can’t play with Sapphy anymore?”

“Hey, hey!” Cayde walked into view, standing by Rowan. “Nobody’s sayin’ that, diamond one.”

Libra looked down at Talli. “I just do not wish harm to come to your daughter, Cayde.”

“I know.” Cayde looked over his shoulder. “Hey, Andal. Do you mind leavin’ the complex for a couple’a hours?”

Andal pulled up his hood, trying hard to keep his voice from cracking. “No. I don’t mind.” He slipped past Cayde, and could actually feel the amount of space between him and the couple outside. “I’ll be back later.”

Andal had to force himself to not run from the sight in tears. He kept a brisk walk, but was tempted to floor it and leap out the nearest window. All that would do is risk quite a few years in prison and some broken bones.

He didn’t have any destination on where he was going. He just wanted to get away from everyone. That was way too easy to do. Most of the Alliance avoided him in the halls.

He felt sick to the core. The sudden urge to vomit overtook him, and he fell on his knees, the room spinning. He gagged, sweat going down his face. A sudden ringing in his ears made it impossible to hear anything.

He felt someone run up from vibrations in the floor. Someone grabbed his shoulders and shook him. He looked up, but his vision was too blurry to identify the figure and the other two standing by him.

A mass of pink knelt down. “Brask! Mr. Brask!”

Andal gasped a bit. “Huh...?”

Beleen was sitting by Lance, who was holding Andal up on his knees. Asher was standing a bit away. All three looked horrified and concerned at his condition.

“Are you in any sort of good condition?” Asher asked.

“Wha happen...?” Andal slurred a bit.

“My pets found you unconscious when they were heading back to Mr. Mir. They got both us and Lance to come over, and we found you on the verge of throwing up!”

Lance pulled Andal up onto his feet. “Come on, let’s get you back home.”

“No!” Andal yelled, and they of them looked surprised. “They...They don’t want me there right now.”

Beleen looked at Lance. “Do you think he can go to your place?”

“Well, the apartment building I’m staying at isn’t too far. It’s really close to the Tower, so maybe it wouldn’t count...” Lance looked at Beleen. “Do you think you can call Cayde or maybe Lucy and tell him Andal will be staying with me for the night, so he doesn’t get in trouble?”

“It can be done.” Asher pat Andal’s shoulder. “Do feel better soon.”

Andal found the energy to smile. “Beleen really has put a touch of compassion in your personality, hasn’t he?”

“Oh, quiet, imbecile. I’m sending you off with good wishes. Do not ruin it.”

“That’s a yes!” Beleen declared before Asher began to pull her off, about four different chirping creatures on their heels.

Lance began to help Andal off. “Come on. You’re burning up.”

Andal felt even more sick as he was practically dragged along. Letting his head drop, he almost vomited onto Lance. Instead, he dry heaved, and immediately felt even worse than before.

His strength gave out on the other side of the hall. Eyes rolling into the back of his head, he hit the floor, falling out of Lance’s grip. He didn’t even hear Lance yell in alarm before he passed out.

Even if he was unconscious, he could feel it becoming even harder to breathe. It was like a hand was clenching around his throat. He found himself struggling for breath, even in the midst of sleeping.

A great crash startled him out of his slumber. He felt himself violently shaken, and he could hear yelling. His gasps for air quickening, he forced open his eyes.

He was in the medical wing, lying in a bed. His clothes didn’t cover much, so his robotic arms and legs were clearly visible. A pillow was cast aside on the floor, and he could see his IV drip implanted into his organic shoulder snapped in half, explaining why he’s woken up.

Asher was at a broken window, yelling out of it. Beleen was running back into the area with Libra, who looked half-asleep, but shocked. Lance was the one who had shaken him awake, tears at his eyes.

“Lance?” He forced out.

“Oh my god.” Lance pulled Andal up into a hug. “Oh my god, Andal.”

Libra ran over. “Beleen told me what happened. Are you alright, Andal?”

“Wait, what?” Andal lifted his head, wincing. “What happened?”

Asher looked back. “Put two and two together, Brask! Somebody broke into the vicinity to murder you.”

As Andal looked shocked, Lance gulped. “We saw somebody trying to suffocate you with a pillow. While Beleen went to get Libra, Asher and I chased them off.”

Andal tried to support himself to sit up. “Do you...know who they were?”

“No. They were wise enough to cover up their entire face. We weren’t even able to get a good enough view to guess their physique, height, or even gender.”

Andal sighed. “Great...a murderer is now running loose.”

“Maybe, maybe not. They jumped out a window and broke it in the process. Maybe they hurt something, and they can be slowed down enough so we can catch them.” Lance looked up at Asher. “Zavala is probably still awake, even at this time of night. Go tell him what happened.”

“Normally, I would allow nobody to boss me around. But I see that this is an emergency.” Asher ran out of the medical wing. “Come along, assistant!”

Beleen bolted after him. “Right on, Mr. Mir!”

The danger gone, Libra walked over to Andal. “That would make this the second attempt on your life in the same day.”

Andal looked surprised. “Huh? Second?”

“When Lance brought you in, we had to pump out a lot of your bodily fluids to save you.” Libra looked sympathetic. “Somebody had lethally poisoned you.”

Lethally poisoned? But how could that be? Who would even be able to poison him like that? Could...someone even betray his trust like that? He tried to rid himself of that thought, but...Nobody else could access his food and drink but...

As Andal looked shocked, Lance continued. “We’re trying to narrow down who did it, but...it’s really hard. The Tower has a dense population, so...this traitor can be anyone.”

Libra put a finger on his chin. “Hm...In that case, I suggest an experiment. I’ll petition the Alliance council to instead house arrest you to a specific location other than the Tower. Andal, stop living within the Tower for...let’s say a week or two. If any other kind of attempt on your life happens, please contact us immediately. Perhaps the method of assassination will change, and we might be able to identify a correlation.”

This was all becoming too much. Andal pressed a synthetic hand to his forehead. “I...”

Lance put a hand on his arm, as if to attempt to calm him. “You can stay with me.” Andal looked up at him with watery eyes. “Until this all blows over.”

Andal sniffed, rubbing away his tears as best as he could. “Lance, I...”

Libra looked down. “Andal, we have no choice. You may not be as lucky the next time this happens.”

Andal’s life seemed to break all over again. Swallowing a sob before it spilled out, he made a small gasping noise, trembling. He looked so fragile, and ready to break at any moment.

Libra removed the IV drip still attached to his arm, making him whimper a bit. “I’ll go talk to Zavala. You two just head to Lance’s home.”

Lance began to help up Andal onto his feet. “Alright, Libra. Thanks for coming at such a short notice.”

Libra nodded in return quietly. He quickly turned on his heel. Andal had a feeling that he didn’t want to be around such a condemned criminal any longer.

Andal looked around. “Do you...know where my clothes are?”

Lance looked over. “Huh? Oh. They’re on that chair over there.” He pointed at the stack.

Andal has long abandoned black clothing, having way too many terrifying memories accompanying them. He also left brown behind, as it would match up to Cayde too well. He currently has white all over in his Hunter outfit, with either gold or blue trimmings or secondary colors. He also has stopped wearing cloaks, instead just having a hood built into his top. Once again, cloaks have way too many terrifying properties to him, now.

Flipping up his white hood to hide the absolute mess of a hair, Andal looked over. “I hope you didn’t mind that.”

Lance quickly grinned, though his face was visibly red hot. “Not at all.” He paused. “Wait, don’t take that in any wrong way!”

“I won’t, promise.” Andal smiled. “You have a girlfriend, anyways.”

Lance frowned at that, and looked at the ground before beginning to walk, signalling Andal to follow. “Eh...”

Andal followed, feeling the robotic legs click underneath his pants. “What’s with the hesitation?”

“Don’t get me wrong, Allura and I are still on very good terms. But...We realized very fast we were going on different paths, and the romance really wasn’t there anymore, so...”

Andal looked surprised. “You two broke up?”

Lance pushed open the door so Andal could walk out into the hallway. “Don’t put it like that! There was no argument or tears! In fact, it was very positive for both of us to stop the romance part. We’re still good friends. So, no breaking up.” He closed the door behind him. “Just...clearing up misunderstandings.”

Stepping out of the Tower for the first time in more than six months practically instilled a huge amount of joy in Andal. Knowing very well he was just relocating if anything, he was more than happy to just stand in the lit street, staring up at the Traveler.

The rain was coming down hard tonight. Lance and Andal quickly went to the sidewalks, trying to cover their heads with their hoods. However, both just seemed to laugh at the rain, if anything. Lance even went out of his way to jump in a few puddles. He slipped on one of them, and Andal immediately was able to soften the fall, only for both to come tumbling down. Once again, they just laughed, finding the whole ordeal amusing.

As they walked along, Andal could notice Lance suddenly waving to someone. He followed the line of sight to see Keith on the other side of the street, returning the wave. His hand was in Uldren’s, who was smiling warmly at the other two.

For some reason, that small gesture of their hand holding warmed Andal’s chest. He couldn’t explain it, but it lightened up his day just to see that tiny bit of affection.

He didn’t realize he had stopped walking when he felt someone grab his hand. Looking, he saw Lance grinning at him, clasping his own palm.

“Come on!” He called, pulling Andal along down the rainy street. “If we make it, we could get some of the candy that the apartment receptionist lays out!”

Maybe Andal could pick the pieces of his life back up. Even through all of this despair, there seemed to always be that tiny shred of hope.


	8. The Light Incarnate, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters in chapter:
> 
> -Rowan  
-Gabriel  
-Kurami  
-Andal (mentioned)  
-The Shadow Queen (mentioned)  
-Fox (mentioned)
> 
> Chapter summary:
> 
> Light and darkness are two sides of the same coin. But who reigns over the darkness?

“I miss Andal.”

Gabriel stopped walking. One foot was submerged entirely in vegetation. The other was stuck on the beaten path the two had been taking since they got out of the technological gate. Looking over his shoulder, he could see Rowan having stopped, too.

Gabriel wore no armor, but Rowan did. It had much more of a duller golden color than his original set. The blending of Luxite and normal types of metals procured by planets formed the basis of the armor. It would supposedly protect him against darkness much more, while still allowing light magic to be conducted more easily.

“You miss him?” Gabriel tilted his head. “Why? Did he leave?”

“Sort of,” Rowan admitted. “When he was nearly fatally poisoned, he was cut off from the entire Tower so the Alliance could try to find the culprit. He’s been with Lance in the city, and is going to stay there until the culprit is found. None of us are allowed to visit him at any time.” He scoffed. “Visiting him could probably get us in really big trouble.”

“But you wouldn’t hurt him like that!” Gabriel protested.

Rowan laughed a bit. “Do you really know that, or are you just saying that because I’m some sort of fabled hero?”

Gabriel immediately paused at his harsh words. He looked extremely downcast, and began to stare at his feet in shame.

“Come on.” Rowan walked past him. “The ruins of Aytolis should be in sight once we make it out of the forest.”

Rowan has been having a lot of questions for the past few months. Who is he, really? What purpose does he have? And how much did his family know of his fate? He had to learn of his true past, even the parts he never knew.

There was also the problem of his powers. They’ve ceased entirely to grow after the whole fiasco in Hoshido. Besides a few white hairs and his powers of light being just a bit brighter, nothing’s happened since. No new abilities of the magic of the Lux Mondo.

And finally, there was that woman he saw. She spoke as if he was some sort of family member to her. And ever since then, he’s had tiny glimpses of her, or could hear tiny snippets of her voice in the back of his head. But besides that, nothing. He was almost tempted to ask Cayde to shoot him with the power of the Traveler’s Light again to procure some effect on him, but has wisely decided against it.

So now, they were here. His old kingdom, now nothing but ruins. Perhaps here, answers could be found.

But the longer they walked away from the gate, the more Rowan’s hands began to shake. He had a horrible feeling about all of this. He could sum it up to his last...stay here, but still...

“If you don’t want to be here, we can leave.” Gabriel placed a hand on Rowan’s arm, startling him a bit. “Gristonne never wanted to be in the Alliance anyways, so there’s no point in asking again. And we don’t REALLY need to scope out every answer...”

Rowan sighed. “I’m not nervous. I’m just scared that Gristonne might try and put me in solitary confinement for the quote-on-quote ‘protection of the people’.”

“...That’s being nervous,” Gabriel clarified.

“Don’t be a smartass.”

It was only about forty minutes of walking when they saw it. The stone walls have collapsed in on themselves, and all of the houses were visibly abandoned. Even the farms on the edges had fields of brown, dead plants. The kingdom of Aytolis, abandoned more than six years ago and having been vacant since, laid before the two.

Rowan shuddered again. “I haven’t seen this place in so long...It’s actually gotten worse.”

Gabriel tilted his head. “There’s no sign of life anywhere. Did they all move to Gristonne?”

“Well, the entire royal family was either kidnapped or murdered,” Rowan pointed out. “No doubt that the kingdom would collapse soon after. And Fox even once said that he desolated the entire community.” He paused. “Though that raises the question of him sparing Gristonne.”

“Maybe he sought out Aytolis for...a specific reason?” Gabriel shrugged.

Rowan suddenly paused. “Are you saying...he was looking for the Light and Shadow Incarnates, and believed me and my sister to be them?”

“Well, maybe? Does Gristonne have any heirs?”

“Not...that I know currently,” Rowan admitted. “There used to be one, but...He died a long time ago. So any new heir born wouldn’t be in the same generation I am.” He pondered for a moment. “I think I’m twenty-three, now...maybe four?”

“Huh? Have you forgotten how old you are?”

Rowan looked away. “Five years of solitary confinement can do that to somebody. I mean, I don’t think I can remember my birthday. Maybe it was...sometime in late September? Twenty...something, I forgot.”

“Oh! That would be right around the corner! It’s currently late August! Have you informed anyone of your birthday?”

“No. It doesn’t matter. And we’re getting off track. We should at least try to get to the castle of Aytolis before the sun sets. If we get there at dark, it would make searching a lot harder.”

Taking the beaten and overgrown trail, every step closer made Rowan’s throat close up more. What if Gristonne was camping nearby? He could be imprisoned once more. And Gabriel could be killed on the spot for simply being with him. He wanted to leave, but he also wanted answers for almost everything about himself.

Finally, the dirt road transformed into one of cobblestones. They stood at the ruins of the once grand city by now. The gates were rotting away from lack of care, and no life stirred within the area.

Except one. A faint meow resonated in the empty area, and Gabriel immediately whipped his head. He could see the white, lithe figure sitting on a rock, watching them both. The cat’s tail waved subconsciously, a tuft of blue fur resting at the tip.

Gabriel gasped. “Kitty!” He immediately ran over to it.

Rowan looked. “Wait, Gabriel!” He called. “It could be feral!”

Instead of the cat lashing out, it immediately tipped its head forward. Gabriel reached out and began to scratch the fur behind its ears, making it purr. Its ears flicked in obvious satisfaction. Rowan noticed they had the same blue tufts on the edges as its tail did.

He walked over to inspect the cat. “Huh,” he murmured. “It does seem tame, I guess. Who do you think its owner is?”

“I don’t know, but it seems to be wearing a collar.” Gabriel gently placed the collar in his hand.

On a red cord hung one single jade coin. There was no identifying symbol on it, except a very odd image of two snakes curling into a circle of sorts.

“No name or number?” Rowan questioned.

Gabriel looked on the back and front. “No. It just has this snake symbol on both sides. No other identification.”

“I feel like I’ve seen it before,” Rowan wondered as the cat began to nip at the hand holding onto the coin. “Well, I think they want to go, now.”

“Ow, ow!” Gabriel let go of the coin, and the cat leapt off the rock and began to trod away. “Sorry, Mr. Cat.”

Rowan looked odd. “Mr...Cat?”

Gabriel laughed nervously. “Don’t give me such a judgemental look, now! I like animals!”

After a pause, Rowan chuckled. “Who doesn’t?” He remarked before progressing further into Aytolis.

The place was amidst devastation. Nothing more than stone ruins laid in the area. Rats scurried by, squeaking and going by in small swarms. They were some of the only bits of life still remaining in what once was a proud kingdom.

Rowan looked up at the cry of a bird, then laughed involuntarily. “It seems that crows have taken up residence here, too.”

“Maybe they’re ravens?” Gabriel asked. “Are they the same?”

“No. Ravens are much more elegant. Crows are kind of scruffy, stuck-up, and like to cling onto cats.”

Gabriel paused. “Why do I have the feeling you just took a pot-shot at someone?”

The air whistling through the ruins unnerved Gabriel to no end. This place was entirely a ghost town. It didn’t match up at all to what he was told about it centuries ago. He expected a grand civilization of gold and white, wearing the blood of Luxonia proudly on its sleeve. Instead, it’s nothing but an empty shell for rodents to call a breeding ground.

“This wasn’t at all like Yumal said!” Gabriel complained. “He said it would be pretty!”

Rowan stopped walking ahead and looked back. “Yumal? You mean...the deceased prince?”

“Y...Yea. When I was much younger, he used to be my painting partner. We would go out into the Lux Mondo, and just paint whatever colors we felt. To tell you the truth? He hated the color gold. That’s why he always wore a red cape. It was like a trademark of his. Custom made, too. It was very soft.”

“A red cape...?” Rowan’s mind began to wander. He knew someone who wore red capes, but they were the polar opposite of what Gabriel was describing. He also didn’t like to think about the man who ruined his life often.

A rock clattered down from a pile of rubble to the side. Rowan watched it roll down, and fall to a stop at his foot. He lifted his boot and lightly tapped it away.

Gabriel was looking up, now. “Hey, who’s there?!” He suddenly demanded.

Rowan looked up, as well. The sunset going over the land didn’t light the area well. But he could make out a black overcoat, with white locks falling out of the hood.

“Sup?” Kurami called casually, smiling a bit. “If you guys are here, then that means it’s almost time.”

“Time?” Rowan tilted his head. “Time for what?”

“What else? To change the course of history.” Kurami made a wide gesture to the ruins of the castle, not too far away from where they stood. “Tonight, the Shadow Queen will die, in those very ruins.”

Rowan immediately took a battle stance, as if expecting the said queen to lunge out at him. “What?!”

“The story has been predicted like this. The Queen will challenge you to a fight, in these very ruins, to try and decide the fate of the universe once more. You will strike her down. There, with her last breath, she reveals her last secret, and...” Kurami points to the rubble surrounding the castle gates. “Fox steals her last breath. He kills her while she lays gasping for breath. And then, he will take the title of Shadow Incarnate, and become more of a danger than you can ever possibly imagine.” She looked back down, curling her pointing hand into a fist to be held by her side. “However, that is only what Pari girl predicted. I dunno.”

“Her last secret?” Gabriel asked. “What do you mean?”

“It doesn’t matter. Hell, it’s best if you never know.” Kurami grinned, though it held something more wicked. “Now, you boys should be leaving by now. I’m going to kill her before Fox can and screw over the universe with his newfound powers.”

Rowan stepped back as Kurami dropped down onto the road in front of them. “Wait, but...I’m not here to fight.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Kurami put her hands on her hips. “You will fight her, all the same. And it will bring you nothing but heartbreak.”

“Wait, but why? What would this battle reveal to me?”

Kurami looked over her shoulder, but her hood obscured her eyes. Rowan could only see her lips moving as she said, “If you just think about how the title of Shadow Incarnate transfers by blood, you will realize it.”

Transfers by blood...What does she mean by that? There was no possible way for that to be true. Both Darios and Lianna were long dead. The Shadow Queen took the title by killing Darios, right? So how would blood play into it?

As he began to think, he wondered about that one fateful scene, about six years ago. When Fox forced him to kill his own sister with his own two hands.

Didn’t they take her body...?

“...What’s the queen’s real name?” Rowan whimpered.

“You know what it is.”

“Kurami, please tell me I’m wrong. Please don’t tell me that...” Rowan shook his head. “It can’t be true.”

Kurami only turned fully to face the two. “Lianna. That’s the queen’s true name. She faked her death, and now works with and loves the man who has ruined your entire life.”

At once, everything Rowan has worked for, everything that he was meant to do, crumbled away like dust. His legs, though metal, suddenly felt weak and wobbly. He wanted to vomit, but also was too exhausted to even dry heave.

“No,” he merely whispered.

“Yes. The Shadow Queen is Lianna. She’s been working with Fox this entire time. She’s loved Fox this whole time while you rotted because of his actions. And now you know why I didn’t want to tell you any of that.” Kurami spread her arms out. “She’s been delaying the inevitable for a reason! She’s worked to prevent a full goddamn war! She’s only wanted to complete the destined fight!”

“The Burning...” Rowan shook his head, mouth agape. “The Burning of Ylisse...She wouldn’t...She would never...”

“That was all Fox’s doing.” Kurami dropped her hands back to her side, and turned away. “Leave now. If you do, Lianna may actually live past today. You could fight the destined battle another day.”

Rowan stood up. “She’s...in there?”

Kurami turned. “Look, I can tell you anything you want to know. Look, I’ll even give you this.” She snapped her fingers, and a wreath of darkness formed on the floor.

When the darkness scattered, there laid a shield. Five indents formed a circle, lines of white connecting it to one symbol of a dragon in the middle. The entire coloring was gold and white. A subtle, but clear homage to the Luxonia power nestled within the kingdom of Aytolis.

Rowan picked it up with shaky hands. “The Shield of Flames...I thought it was...”

“Destroyed?” Kurami scoffed. “Not in the slightest. Just lost for a bit. The little gems that accompany it have long gone, however.”

Rowan slowly stood back up again. His breathing was slow and deep. He looked over at Gabriel, who immediately noticed the amount of fear and denial on his face.

The younger man slowly held out the shield. “You...take this back...to the Alliance.”

“Huh? And you?”

Rowan shoved it into the Luxonian’s grip. “Just go!” He yelled at him.

Gabriel stepped back, in tears. “Wh-What? This...This isn’t like you!”

“This is not your fight! This is not your responsibility! So just leave!”

“I thought...I just wanted to-”

“GO!”

Gabriel cowered back, but he meekly nodded. His wings forming on his back, he shot up into the air and quickly became a streak of light in the cloudy sky. Before long, he was into the forest, never to be seen in Aytolis again.

Kurami stuck out a hand. She could feel a light drizzle begin to sprinkle down on the forgotten land. She suspected it would turn into a downpour soon.

“Let me go by, Kurami.” She looked back over at Rowan, whose fists were clenched at his side.

Kurami frowned. “Rowan, I’m not doing this for myself. I’m doing this for the entire universe. Listen, if I become Shadow Incarnate, everything will be okay. And if I fail and Lianna remains the Queen, everything is still okay. But if Fox becomes Shadow Incarnate? We’re screwed. The universe would plummet into death and despair, because he won’t hold back. Nobody will be there to hold him back like Lianna does.”

“Step away, Kurami.”

“Rowan, this is for the good of everyone you know and love. If what Fox is doing makes it out of tonight, your little family will be destroyed in ways you can’t imagine!”

“Step away!”

“The Alliance will be destroyed over and over! No relent! It will die!”

“LET ME SEE MY FUCKING SISTER!” Rowan screamed, his sword now in his hands.

“WHAT ABOUT ULDREN?!” Rowan finally paused, and Kurami quickly noticed that she’s got his attention. “Yea! Your friend! If Fox becomes Shadow Incarnate...his happiness will be destroyed. There will be nothing but despair for him in everything. He will go down an even worse path than you. So leave. Let me do this for everyone. For the Umbra Mondo. For the Alliance. ...For you.”

Rowan slowly lowered his sword, but was still trembling. “Just let me see her.”

“Then fate will play out the way Parisia saw it, and people that don’t deserve to die will die.”

“I’M NOT GOING TO BELIEVE THE WOMAN WHO RUINED MY GIRLFRIEND’S LIFE!” Rowan suddenly ran forward, tears flowing down his face.

Kurami was unprepared for the sudden attack. Despite blocking it, the force made her fly back into a mound of rubble. Something snapped on impact, and Kurami yelped in pain.

Rowan stood there, heavily breathing. He looked at her struggle to get back on her feet to no avail. He stepped back, watching her squirm in place a bit.

“Goodbye.” He began walking to the ruins of his old home.

“ROWAN! GODDAMMIT, LISTEN! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU’RE DOING TO YOURSELF! ROWAAAAN!”


	9. The Light Incarnate, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters in chapter:
> 
> -Rowan  
-Shadow Queen  
-Fox  
-Kurami
> 
> Chapter summary:
> 
> The end of an era comes forth.

The ruins of the castle have long decayed into nothing but a sight to see. The rug was torn up and burned, and the torches have blackened, their use long over. Parts of the walls were collapsed, blocking off rooms in the halls.

As he walked, Rowan couldn’t even remember the layout of the castle. He couldn’t remember which hall led to the armory, or what tapestry depicted the most recent victory against the Chaos Dragon Velezark. His memories of his old life years ago have been twisted and malformed by a clawed hand of malicious intent. All he could do was walk forward and just hope he’ll find something, anything.

He came here looking for answers. He should have also prepared himself to hear answers he never wished to hear.

It was in the throne room where he found her. Miraculously, one of the two thrones of the room had survived the destruction of Aytolis. She was sitting in it patiently, as if waiting for Rowan this entire time. Fox stood by the throne, only planning to keep quiet during the entire exchange, and intervene if things went sour in the Queen’s favor.

Rowan had the faint instinct to kneel or bow like a knight to the throne, to offer some sort of mutual respect. But not this time. This deviless didn’t deserve any sort of common courtesy.

He stood at one end of the room, by the door, as he pointed at the Shadow Queen. “You have no right to sit in that throne!”

The Queen had no change in expression. “I think I have more than a right to be in this seat.”

“Oh, yes. Inheritance by your bloodline.” The Queen’s eyes widened. “Yea, I figured it out, LIANNA!”

She slowly stood up. Her hands, having been laying on the armrests, were shaking. “I was...hoping you...”

“You don’t deserve to stand here at all! You should be cast out like the monster you are!” Rowan had nothing but boiling hot rage in him. “How the hell are you even alive?! I stabbed you, right in the damn heart!”

The Queen...no, Lianna...placed a hand on her chest. “It did leave a scar,” she admitted. “But our timeline’s Sakura was waiting for the moment she could revive me. I just had to play dead until then. You’ll be surprised to find that even the most fatal wounds take some time to claim a life.” She paused. “Unless it was the brain. Funny. Maybe this all would have played out differently if you had stabbed me in the head.”

“Shut the fuck up!” Rowan snapped. “SHUT THE FUCK UP! Don’t taunt me with what could have been! Tell me WHY! WHY EVERYTHING?!”

“You don’t understand.” Lianna was fighting hard to keep a straight face instead of bursting into tears. “This was all destined to happen. Once I heard of the prophecy, I knew I had to fulfill it. I needed to instigate a fight with you, and in the most non-lethal way.”

“Then explain Ylisse! EXPLAIN TAKUMI!”

Lianna only seemed to further agitate him by saying, “That wasn’t me, but I will take the blame. It happened under my rule.”

“You monster...You’re not Lianna! Lianna died that day! And YOU!” Rowan pointed at Fox. “You’ve probably done this to her! Turned her into a cruel psychopath!”

Fox frowned. “Actually, she’s the nicest ruler the Umbra Mondo has had in centuries. Do think before you jump to conclusions. If she was truly psychopathic, many more people would be dead than just one kingdom.”

Rowan raised his sword, pointing it at who used to be his beloved sister. “Why?! WHY IS HE YOUR ALLY?!”

“Because he used to be Prince Yumal of the Luxonia, millennia ago.”

Once more, all of Rowan’s viewpoints shattered. Everything suddenly became more potent and terrifying in his mind.

“The red cape,” he murmured.

Fox smiled faintly. “I still love it, even after all this time,” he answered.

“Then...I’m not the first Otherworlder Reploid?”

“No, you still are. I’m just the only Luxonian Reploid.” Fox ran a hand through his hair. “This isn’t naturally brown. I’m blonde. And I changed my eyes to a more humane look, and tanned my skin upon conversion.”

“Then...I don’t...what...”

Fox turned to the side. “I knew your ancestors. Orli and Ciar. Orli was...my childhood friend. She and I were closer than you could ever imagine. And my mother...I loved her and my family so.”

“Gabriel...?”

Fox looked back. “Oh yes, Gabriel. I did have a hand in his childhood myself. I rubbed off my artistic traits on him, I will admit.”

Rowan was shaking heavily now. “Why...how...?”

This couldn’t be right. Prince Yumal. The one Gabriel spoke so highly of. The one the Luxonia mourn and treasure. He was the same man who wants to watch the universe burn in an insane bloodlust.

“When I heard Orli had fallen in love with an Umbrati, I had to do something. I told my family.” Fox laughed. “What a horrible idea. Orli’s family heard the news, then banished her from the Lux Mondo. She became a social stigma. My single mistake led to the prophecy being created.

“I had to hunt her down. I began to delve into magic no Luxonia should ever touch. I poisoned my very being with shadow magic. I erased my own identity, and created the chaos dragon Velezark.”

Rowan’s mechanical heart thudded in his chest. “You made...Velezark?”

“As the dragon grew, I realized what cost I have done to his sanity. To protect the world, I created a pocket world to seal the dragon in to. I had torn its pieces from the timelines, so I was dooming multiple human lives to solitude in this pocket world and terrors from my chaos dragon. I also created the only things that could ever stop the monster I created.”

“The Shield of Flames and Enliron and Facinna,” Rowan breathed.

“Exactly.” Fox stared at the twilight sky outside of the castle. “But my own mind was fracturing as well. I lost sight of my original goal of finding Orli. I began to obsess over her. I ripped apart timelines in a bloodlust to find her. And when I did...she was pregnant with Ciar’s child. Everything snapped in me, and I threw both of them into the pocket world I created, and never looked at it again. I don’t remember much else during that event.

“When I regained my consciousness, I realized what I had done. The trauma I have done to the innocent could never let me be king. So I faked my death, and fled the Lux Mondo myself. I wandered the timelines for millennia. I turned myself into a being of metal to hide my identity further. I became a madman.”

“Gabriel said...you perished in your mother’s arms when you recited the prophecy. It was you that created it.”

Fox seemed...genuinely surprised. “Really? I find I have a gap in my memory between the reciting part and the perishing part. I never knew it was I that made the prophecy. But the next part of my story carries over to the time I learned of Aytolis and Gristonne. They were made out of the pocket world I created. All of it, with its humans having integrated societies and now worshipping some dragon I didn’t know. At once, my bloodlust came back. I stormed your kingdom, and tore it to shreds. I massacred its people, all of them and their watered down Luxonia and Umbrati blood. But...For once in my life, I stopped myself before I could go further. I didn’t know why...until I met your sister. She reminded me so much of Orli, my possessive behavior came spewing back...but it was better than outright murder.

“When she bloomed into the Shadow Incarnate, I began to dive deeper into shadow magic. What was left of my Luxonia soul was completely desecrated, making way for my fractured mind of bloodlust. But every time, Lianna would be able to calm me down. She was so kind, and she knew what a broken man I really was. Unable to control my actions, and subconsciously enjoying them...She helped me become more sane than I have ever been in millennia.”

Fox looked at Rowan on the ground at this point. His legs have given out. “Which brings us to today. I’ve harmed as little people as possible. The war is a standstill. Lianna restores my mind, bit by bit. And the only way for it to conclude is for you to embrace your light.”

Rowan tried to get up. “E-Embrace...?” He was too battered by today to function properly.

“Reach deep into your soul, Rowan.” Rowan looked up at Lianna walking up to him. “The only reason you haven’t been able to access your light is because your soul has been traumatised by the darkness. Fight past it, and you can see our ancestor.”

Rowan scrambled away, shaking his head. “Get away from me.”

Lianna reached a hand out. “I’m going to remove your darkness. It’s the only way.”

“Stop it! Get away! NO!” Rowan screamed as he felt her grasp his head.

The memories came rushing. Strapped down, drills puncturing his body, blood pooling down the sides, eyes scooped out to have the sockets filled with optics.

All the bloody darkness was filling his lungs. He couldn’t breathe correctly, but at the same time, was still screaming. And yet, he had no ability to fight back.

Was he drowning? Flying? Or simply dreaming? He couldn’t tell, and it wouldn’t stop, and it just kept going, and the darkness-

The darkness was gone, and there was nothing but the warmth of light.

_ “I’m happy that we can see each other, Rowan.” _

Rowan screamed, and the blast of light emitting from him shattered the entire throne room into a shockwave of rubble. Lianna and Fox went tumbling back, but were able to stand their ground, arms raised to shield their faces.

Rowan was sitting there, on his knees. His arms were dangling at his side, the whipblade released from his grip. Wisps of light flew upwards from his mouth and his half-opened eyes.

What was most different was that, like how Lianna’s hair was completely black, Rowan’s hair was completely white. There was not a single trace of golden locks anywhere.

Breathing slowly, he opened his eyes to stare up at the sky. The roof was completely gone, blown apart by the blast. It faintly reminded him of when his body did the same thing when Cayde accidentally shot him in Hoshido. But much more potent.

Slowly, he dropped his head to look forward. Both Lianna and Fox stood there, with minor burns, but would otherwise be okay.

“I...” Rowan whispered, none of his ferocity evident in his voice anymore.

_ “Are you well, Rowan?”  _ His shadow suddenly warped into a bright shape by him.

He looked and screamed. A woman sat there, Luxonia by the looks of it. She stared at Rowan with a curious expression, clothed in yellow robes and silk curling around her arms to make a flowing loop behind her.

Rowan scrambled backwards. “Wh-Who are...?!”

Fox looked at him oddly. “Rowan? What are you staring at?”

Rowan pointed. “That...That woman! Right there! Can’t you see her?!”

As Rowan looked, he jumped straight onto his feet. By Lianna’s side, there stood an Umbrati that was not there before. He was decked out in armor, and had a few scars on his rugged face that glowed a lighter shade of purple than his skin.

“Who’s THAT?!” He pointed at the Umbrati.

Instead of paying attention to him, the Umbrati raced over to the Luxonia.  _ “Orli!” _ He cried.

The Luxonia got up.  _ “Ciar!” _ She responded, and both immediately enveloped each other into a warm hug.

Lianna smiled. “They would be our ancestors. Nestled within our blood, their souls are bound to our lifeforce. Once we awaken our powers, we are able to see them, and the other’s. When you had awakened your powers, Orli was finally able to emerge, and reunite with Ciar.”

“What...? Awaken?” Rowan finally looked at himself.

Besides the snow white hair, he noticed the soles of his shoes glowing. He decided to lift up a foot to check, only to notice a footprint on the ground. It glowed white, and sparkled faintly. However, it vanished after a few seconds. He quickly checked to see Lianna’s feet having the same effect, though it had a more of a smoke effect than sparkles.

Lianna reached a hand to Rowan’s hair. “The hair color is permanent, by the way.”

“Wait, it’s different?” Rowan murmured, dazed and confused.

Lianna sighed. “Your powers have awakened, but...the destined fight should not be today. You’re not in a well-enough condition.” She placed her hands on his cheeks. “Perhaps when we meet again, it’ll be the right time.”

“Wait, but...but that doesn’t explain Father.”

Lianna looked up. “Hm?”

“If Darios was the Shadow Incarnate, and I was the Light Incarnate...why did Father prefer you over me? Why was I cast aside?”

“Well...to be honest, Father thought I was the Light Incarnate.” Rowan looked surprised. “I was thought to be Light Incarnate. Our father attempted to train me in the way of light magic as best as he could. Due to our Luxonia blood, I managed to learn some spells, but...obviously, I lost it all by the time I became Shadow Incarnate.”

“It was...all a mistake.”

Lianna looked downwards. “Father did love you, I swear. He just had a good reason to spend more time with me.”

“So I was the unwanted twin,” Rowan remarked bitterly.

“Rowan, Father loved you.”

“Then why did I never hear a single ‘I love you’ from him?! Why was I cast aside and forgotten?! Why was I delegated to just become king while you would have the adventures I dreamed of?!”

“...At least you’ve had the adventures now?”

“At the cost of HIM-” Rowan pointing at Fox. “Destroying both of our lives, and me losing much more than you did!”

Fox looked down. “While I was caught up in the darkness within me, I will not fight against your words.”

Rowan’s shoulders finally sagged. The snow white curls rested against his steel forehead, bringing out his electronic blue eyes. It was almost heavenly, but tragic in a sort of way.

“...Why do we keep fighting?” Rowan clasped Lianna’s hands. “You can control Fox. You can stop the war. If you surrender, no more bloodshed will occur!”

“...I wish-”

A sudden sickening sound raked the room. Both ancestors looked horrified at the siblings. Fox nearly dropped his axe in wide-eyed shock.

A spear made of shadows was punctured through Lianna’s chest from behind. Her eyes were wide, as if she couldn’t believe it herself. She suddenly coughed up blood on Rowan’s face, adding color to his paling cheeks.

“No...” Fox raced over as Lianna fell to the floor. “NO! NO NO NO NO NO NO!”

Rowan slowly looked to the direction of the spear being thrown. He saw Kurami, heavily breathing and leaning against the ruins of the castle, but alive. Another spear was already clumping together from darkness in her hand.

“Thank...me later...” She gasped, looking at Rowan. “I just...saved...the entire...universe!”

Fox was sobbing on the floor. “LIANNA, PLEASE! PLEASE, I CAN’T RETAIN MY SANITY WITHOUT YOU! I’M BEGGING YOU, DON’T LEAVE ME!”

“You...” Rowan whimpered quietly. “You killed her.”

“And I’m gonna be Shadow Incarnate!” Kurami snarled. “I’m gonna be queen of the Umbra Mondo! And I’m going to stop this war, and everything that Fox would do! I’m doing you a favor!”

Orli was sobbing. Rowan looked to see her holding Ciar, burying her face on his chest. He was shaking, looking petrified at the events that had suddenly occurred.

_ “Are we to be driven apart by fate again?” _ Ciar wondered.  _ “With Lianna and Rowan, peace was a chance. We could defy destiny, just as we have done before. But now...” _

_ “Cursed!” _ Orli wailed.  _ “We are cursed! Our descendants pay the price for a tragedy that they were no part of! It is not fair!” _

Rowan slowly raised a hand to his cheek. Lianna’s blood was dripping down it. Every drop was another blow to his sanity, to his hope that things could get better. The red stain would be nothing but a reminder that all good things are nothing but lies waiting to be exposed and taken away from him.

Kurami straightened up. “Now...as the queen of the Umbra Mondo...My first act of business is killing you, Fox!”

“...Heh. Heh heh.” Fox grinned. “Kill me? You think you can kill me?”

Rowan gasped at when Fox raised his head. A dagger, clenched in his fist, was puncturing Lianna’s heart.

“I still win,” Fox hissed as the last blow on Lianna’s life was claimed by him.

Kurami’s bravado was gone. It evaporated, just like the life of Rowan’s sister. All of her weakness surfaced in that single moment.

“No,” she whispered.

“You fool. You’re a fool!” Fox laughed, standing up. His whole body was radiating with darkness now. “If you had never intervened, I would have never taken the killing blow! I would have never become Shadow Incarnate! It is YOUR fault this future has come to be!”

Kurami looked sick to the core. “My...fault?”

Ciar slowly let go of Orli. Gulping, he stepped slowly towards Fox. His hands were raised, as if he was negotiating Fox to not take his own life.

_ “Fox,” _ he whispered.  _ “It’s me. Ciar. You are Shadow Incarnate now, so you can hear me. Please. Listen.” _

Fox listened by plunging his axe right into Ciar’s chest.

Rowan screamed. His cry was one of anguish and sorrow, built up from this entire night that had dedicated itself to destroying everything he knew.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!” He screamed, reaching a hand out to the Umbrati ancestor.

Ciar’s eyes were wide. The glow of his scars was ebbing away from death’s pull. His mouth moved, as if he was trying to say something, but no sound spilled out before his entire form cracked and spilled away into black fog, a common sign of an Umbrati death.

Fox stood there as Orli wailed on the floor. Kurami looked panic-stricken, and was already scrambling to get away. And Rowan just stood there, his body unwilling to move from the terrible sight.

Fox slowly looked at him. His hair was beginning to grow black from the roots upwards. A tiny sliver of gold between brown and black passed through down his hair, then it was gone with his original hair color. And his eyes were now purple, staring right into Rowan’s soul.

He suddenly gained a wicked smile. “I reject my Luxonian blood,” he whispered.

_ “Rowan, watch out!” _ Orli cried before suddenly disappearing into a white light. Rowan paused as the light slipped along the ground, then reformed as Rowan’s shadow. He never noticed he was missing it.

Rowan looked up again. Fox was radiating with darkness now. His whipblade was to the side. If he could reach it-

He never did. The blast sent him careening outside of the castle. He went soaring through the air for a good five second before he smashed into the dirt, grass and flowers in his mouth while rocks dug into his skin to stick there.

Rowan laid on the floor, panting. The blast had sapped him of all of his energy. But how? One hit, with such power...How could he ever compete with such an opponent?

Kurami was right. Lianna was holding back. Otherwise, the entire Alliance would be dead by now. But now there was no Lianna to hold the true enemy back.

He had to leave. He had to get to the Alliance. He had to warn them. He had to apologize to Gabriel for yelling at him.

But his body just wouldn’t respond. It was shutting down, forcing him to lay there.

There were footsteps on the ground. Getting closer...

I’m sorry, Carla, because I wasn’t good enough for you. I’m too much of a mess for someone like you.

I’m sorry, Gabriel, for hurting your feelings and never getting to apologize.

I’m sorry, Andal, for letting everything happen to you.

I’m sorry, Takumi, for letting you die in the middle of unfamiliar territory without finding your sister.

I’m sorry, Uldren, for dooming you to a life of suffering with Fox as Shadow Incarnate.

I’m sorry, everyone, for failing you all as Light Incarnate.

I’m going to sleep now. I’ll see you sometime soon.


End file.
